etsy wedding giveaway! custom watercolor wedding map REVISED 10.12.10

{ custom wedding maps and illustrations }

**UPDATE 12.oct.10: all, i'm leaving this post up because of all your wonderful comments and suggestions, but madison-claire never came through with the prize after multiple attempts to contact them, and i'm having to scramble to find a kind etsy soul to put together a wedding map for the winner. so! no more feature.

if you're looking for lovely watercolor wedding maps, check out this search for current shops.

your long-awaited giveaway -- xxxxxxxx at madison~claire designs wrote with a generous offer: a custom watercolor wedding map, personalized and one-of-a-kind. so neat! they also do custom illustrations for programs, etc.

what do i need to know this time, you ask? to enter, in comments tell us about how you're putting together your invites -- letterpress? DIY? online resource? keeping it simple or personalizing? or any clever invitation resources.

etsy wedding giveaway: vintage french lace + floral fascinator from mignonne handmade

{vintage french lace + silk flower clip }

ooh la la! jenn of mignonne handmade is back from a trip to france, scouring for vintage finds to include in her lovely work, and she has graciously agreed to give one of her new creations to you!

here's how she describes it:

it's hand cut, hand pressed pinkish-brown silk flower with vintage details: the stamens are vintage french, found in a flea market in Geneva, Switzerland; the lace accent is a vintage find from Lyon, France; the leaf is a vintage millinery leaf from Japan. It is anchored with felt at the back and has a metal clip that can be fastened to clothes or hair. The flower is around 5" in diameter.

if you're in the phoenix area, jenn also works with real and handmade flowers for weddings, check out joliejourflowers.com. pics of her trip to France are on her blog joliejourflowers.blogspot.com, and joliejour.etsy.com,her other etsy shop, is a mix of flea market vintage finds and hand-crafted lovelies.

TO ENTER: comment on this post with either a favorite reading you're including in your wedding (or wish you could include!), a favorite quote about love, or another favorite from her shop mignonne handmade. no need to include your email address, i will find you!

giveaway ends next friday at midnight PDT. (yeah! daylight savings! woo.)

everyone who enters will receive a 5% discount on anything in her shop. enjoy!





more at mignonnehandmade.etsy.com

dos gardenias giveaway results + extra bonus

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**UPDATE: 1.may.10: unfortunately smittenxoxo has closed her etsy shop due to medical issues.

if you are looking for gardenias, try this little search to see what's the latest.

i can also highly recommend the gardenia from ericabstudios -- a lovely seller!


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update: smittenxoxo dos gardenias giveaway

**UPDATE: 8.april.10: unfortunately i have been unable to get a response from leah at smittenxoxo after a number of emails, and her shop has been closed temporarily.

**UPDATE: 1.may.10: unfortunately smittenxoxo has closed her etsy shop due to medical issues.

if you are looking for gardenias, try this little search to see what's the latest.

i can also highly recommend the gardenia from ericabstudios -- a lovely seller!

mailbag: cozyblue, unusually fine photos, etc.

{ custom heart tree pillow by cozyblue }

liz of cozyblue writes with a sweet idea for a wedding or anniversary gift -- the screenprinted/custom-embroidered tree pillow ("also available as wall art, for those with juice-dribbling kiddos or animals who like to claw"). or, for your friends growing families, the adorable custom family tree. thanks for writing, liz!

{ cozyblue }

also clever:

• three recent columbia grads started a company called chocomize.com, where you can custom-design your own chocolate bars as favors or whatnot. i like their story.
  

contests:

• max and margaret of unusually fine photography wrote with an unusually charming invite for new york couples to enter their free wedding-day photography contest by march 12. check out their fun portfolio.
  

• oxo is still flacking their free giveaway contest, happening each week. nothing wrong with free! acloserlookatoxo.com

not to be NYC-centric, here's a"food-and-drink-themed bridal event" march 11 at the astor center, eat drink be married.

etsy wedding giveaway! gorgeous floral hair clips from smittenxoxo

{ dos gardenias para ti }

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**UPDATE: 8.april.10: unfortunately i have been unable to get a response from leah at smittenxoxo after a number of emails, and her shop has been closed temporarily.

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**UPDATE: 1.may.10: unfortunately smittenxoxo has closed her etsy shop due to medical issues.

if you are looking for gardenias, try this little search to see what's the latest.

i can also highly recommend the gardenia from ericabstudios -- a lovely seller!

thank you! mac office 2008 giveaway results

{ each photo links to its shop }

huge thanks to everyone who took the time to enter the microsoft office giveaway -- you went way above and beyond. i am still getting through all the links you suggested, and hope to compile a "readers choice" post based on your picks and tips. see the comments for scads of wedding resources for beginners, plus a los angeles love's helpful post on starting your wedding planning, i recommend!

i wish i had 30 of these to gift: the random number i pulled matched conmigo's comment. congratulations, lady, get in touch and i'll get your new software to you: etsywedding (at) gmail.

last day! enter the office 2008 for the mac DIY giveaway

{ snow white's revenge vinyl decal sticker by diascographics }

if you have a mac or love someone who does, today's the last day to enter the microsoft office 2008 giveaway -- your very own brand new copy of office 2008 for the mac, plus a packet of tips on DIY wedding projects -- save-the-dates, budget, invites, programs... the odds are good.

if you're a PC but just getting started on planning your wedding, check out the comments for links, resources, + reader favorites.

see the original post for details and to enter! giveaway ends 11:59pm PST today. winner will be chosen at random and announced friday.

{thanks so much to ALL of the commenters so far for taking time to share their stories!}
:)j

catching up with the inbox

{ vintage wood mailbox from vintagevertigo }

hello all -- here are some highlights to get us caught up from my hiatus:

new+clever:

• digby & iona's stump ring, with custom initials carved inside a heart. bonus reason for posting: the elaborate stop-motion video. strange.
  
  
• evapaul invitations offers a new mini-rsvp as an eco- and budget-friendly option.
  
  
• check out bittersweets NY's unusual wedding and bridal party jewelry. the twig line is more delicate/traditional... and then there's earthworms and vampire bites, and they're all still pretty.
  
  
• quirky yet compelling bridesmaid dresses at quail. site is fresh, skirts are teeny, but you can have them custom-made. go michelle.
  
  
• redrubyrose.etsy.com has a line of leather and suede clutches, great for winter weddings.
  

discounts:

• socal's peach press letterpress is offering 10% off purchases now through feb. 3 to celebrate their new online store.
  
  
• alyssa ettinger: 25% discount to brides-to-be for her porcelain bottles and glowy lanterns -- love them: alyssaettinger.etsy.com
  
  

contests:

• kelly at capture photography in portland OR is offering a free wedding photo contest, more info at her blog camerasandlight.com (PDF download)
  
  
• i'm sorry i missed it on your behalf, but i just came across a contest jauntsetter.com wrote me about back in december, turns out it was won by a friend and colleague -- it is a small world. see the slideshow, it's a truly lovely wedding, and please check out the site for future travel plans.
  
  
• and of course, the microsoft office contest here goes through next tuesday. huge thanks to all who have entered so far!
  

more as i get through the backlog -- thank you all for your patience!
jen

wedding giveaway! microsoft office 2008 for the mac

{ i'm yours archival giclee print by lovesugar }

yes, it's true! i'm getting married. if that don't beat all, as grandpa would say.

i promised a big giveaway today and am sorry if that implied i was going to reveal the story of my incredibly organized dream wedding, inspiration board, and plans, vendor by vendor. because... {nervous laugh}... that would imply i had some idea what i was doing. ha! hoo no. i mean a good old-fashioned giveaway: free stuff for you!

i've been holding onto this one from last year: i *finally* got my new mac, and finally tested this stuff out, and i can officially vouch that you *can* use microsoft office 2008 to make all kinds of DIY wedding goodies like save-the-dates and budgets and table cards and invites. not that mine are done. hoo no. but it's *possible.*

to celebrate, i'm giving it away!

to enter to win your very own copy of Office 2008 Home+Student Edition for the mac, along with some handy tips and how-tos on putting together DIY wedding essentials:

1. comment with 3 great tips*, links, or resources for someone (like me) just engaged who (theoretically of course!) has no idea where to start.
   
2. all creative entries* will be entered in a random drawing.
   
3. bonus points for those who would actually *use* the software to DIY their wedding -- pls. include your wedding date.
4. deadline: february 2.
   

please see the mac system requirements before entering. OSX v.10.4.9 or later.
and thank you, thank you for reading and for all your good wishes!

*if you've got more than 3 tips or links, bring it on, but please don't just put 1.) the knot 2.) martha 3.) your mom. that much has become clear.

etsy wedding street team: weekly giveaways

{ etsy wedding team autumn of giveaways }

the etsy wedding street team (no relation to yours truly, though i've always wanted a street team -- think how much i'd get done!) is hosting a giveaway each week this fall of lovely handmade items. week two's giveaway deadline is 6pm tuesday 9/29, so i'm sneaking it in under the wire. check out the etsy wedding street team blog for more info on prizes and how to enter. found via the ever-inspiring maidavale (she of gorgeous invitations and ideas). thanks!

wedding DIY contest, updates, et cetera

{ vanessa's pick: jacky earrings by loellamedina }

yesterday's etsy finds email, "my american gothic wedding", expands on vanessa + mickey's wedding posted last week, with vanessa delving into all the etsy details -- it is seriously wonderful. great ideas, and lots of etsy sellers to check out!

also, may be old news since i've been away but just in case, etsy and marthastewartweddings.com are running a great DIY wedding photo contest where you can submit photos of your wedding crafts. see the site to enter through september 1, 2009, or get more info and rules -- MSW is featuring the best photos online, and your craft might just get featured on martha's show.

also, check out the slideshow with marthastewartwedding.com's favorite etsy crafters. so much etsy love! here are links to a few also featured on etsy wedding: 5eizen, blanca monros gomez, the english dept. and enjibeck.

i just so happened across this great-sounding contest at hiphostess -- win four beautiful kiwi green pashmina shawls, enter by july 31.

finally, my disclaimer du jour: the day job is once again trying to swallow me, so please be patient with posting this week and next.

just for fun, here are some of the etsy crafters picked by marthastewartweddings.com:



{each photo links to its shop}

from the mailbag: photo contest, 100-mile menu, SF dream wedding

it has been a crazy week, and only wednesday. so much going on in the world. revolution. huge freelance project. housequake.*

(not to equate the three, of course. what's going on revolution-wise is remarkable and humbling. odd to twitter about my 1000th follower this week when people are using it for life and death...)

thus, briefly, are a few tidbits from the mail:

of note in the northeast: the philadelphia wedding project is 6 photographers banding together for a giveaway for one lucky couple getting married in 2010 or 2011. check out the extensive rules (oddly no NY, FL, or RI residents allowed...) and then tell your story by August 31, 2009.

for NYC folks interested in the local farm-to-table and eco-catering scene, great performances and edible manhattan are having fundraising events celebrating the 100-mile menu starting july 15, proceeds benefit the sylvia center.

for all you west coasters, there's the san francisco dream wedding giveaway -- ok, ok, so the contest doesn't *start* until august 4, but you can take a sneak preview and get details. wedding date is may 14, 2010.

plus i just discovered all these emails from the week i was on vacation, and i missed some great opportunities. what wedding blogger vacates in june? an accidental one, friends. will try to respond, if you're still hanging out there...

*more on housequake in a future post!

geezees custom canvas giveaway

thanks again to everyone who voted!

emie, if you're willing to share a photo of the final canvas once it's all set, we'd love to see it :)

also if erica is willing, we'd love to see your canvas as well.

N and dairy princess, will send you a pair of onesmallstar earrings as my thanks -- if you like one you see let me know, etsywedding (at) gmail, or i will happily make you a custom pair.

finally, thanks from all of us to stephanie of geezees for suggesting this giveaway and donating her time and talents! she is truly wonderful to work with -- geezees.etsy.com and geezees.com.

last call: voting ends at midnight* ...

... so if you haven't already, please read the stories and cast your ballot.
thanks to everyone who has voted so far!

*U.S. eastern daylight time :)

contest news! everybody gets a vote

{ your words on 9x12" canvas by geezees }

this was impossible. there are so many beautiful, happy, inspiring comments for the geezees custom canvas giveaway that (after consulting with stephanie) i will try something new:

i narrowed it down to entries who are still planning their weddings, then picked these three offbeat ideas, and *you* can pick the one you like.

for everyone else, thank you so much!! stephanie has extended her 10% discount to friday if you tell her etsy wedding sent you, and she is also now offering gift certificates if you'd like a wedding gift for a friend.

here are the three to vote on:
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Emie said...

These are amazing! :)
My fiance and I have an appointment scheduled next month for a photo session in a tree.
Sounds crazy, right?
our photographer found a beautiful tree standing in a lone field.
We are going to climb it and take a few pictures.
Why?
We want to blow up a big photo and put the words 'Emie and Pepe
Sitting in a Tree
K-I-S-S-I-N-G
First comes love,
Then comes marriage...
October 18th, 2009.'

This canvas print would be just perfect for our idea.

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N said...

I think I'd pick the photo of my fiance and I we took in Central Park, the day we got engaged... on our second date. I had flown in from London and he'd driven up from Montreal and to my shock and his, he asked me to marry him that morning. We're getting married this year (3 and a half years later) and I'd put that photo with the quote by Rumi:

Lovers don't finally meet somewhere,
they're in each other all along.

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dairy princess said...

We're going to enter the ceremony at an old historic ranch house by riding our bikes to the opening song from Juno up a long country driveway. I have this image in my head of us laughing and riding together with streamers and dust trailing behind.

I'd love a pic of that, streamers and all, with a line from our first dance, "In spite of ourselves," by John Prine: "In spite of ourselves, we'll end up sittin' on a rainbow."

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am trying out a new poll widget, please vote in the box below! (hopefully one will appear :) -- voting ends midnight EDT on thursday, 6/18.



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finally, one last note. stephanie and i were both so moved by the comment below from erica that we decided to go in together on a gift canvas for her, entirely separate from the contest. we are sending all our best wishes to you, erica -- write me at etsywedding @ gmail.

Erica said...

I got so excited when I saw this!! I have 2 that I have actually planned on buying from geezees, just waiting for the right time..

1. My roommate, and one of my bestfriends, married an awesome guy Sept. 6th last year. For their 1 year anniv I have been planning to get one of their wedding photos with the poem I Carry Your Heart on it..this poem was read at their wedding. They've always been there for me so this is my way of saying thank you!! :)

2. My fiance was in the army and went to iraq 3 times and lost 7 of his best friends... he was home for about a year and a half after the last deployment and was killed in a car accident Jan.28, 2009. I have a photo of him and some of the guys in iraq that I have wanted to get on one of the huge canvases with the words below...

"They shall not grow old,
as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them,
nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun
and in the morning
We will remember them."

I would probably just use the discount for mine and give my friend the giveaway if I won! :)

summer vacation

{each photo links to its shop}

hello all! a quick note that i am officially on vacation and the contest officially ends tonight at midnight. no internet access for the next couple of days but just as soon as i can will post the contest results!

thank you all for reading -- i hope everyone has a wonderful week, will be back next weekend.

xo -- jen

contest! win a geezees custom word/photo canvas

{ your words custom canvas by geezees }

you may remember a while back i posted this word-art canvas as part of a poetry sampler -- now stephanie of geezees has graciously volunteered one of her creations for a giveaway!

you're limited only by imagination: song lyrics, wedding vows, drawings, photos -- as a gift for self, friends, family -- pretty much anything you can think of, stephanie can put on a canvas.

the winner will select either a 11x20" canvas with words only, or a 9x12" photo and words canvas.

contest runs for one week! enter (via comment) by midnight june 9 by telling us what you'd put on your own canvas.*

and, if you decide you can't wait for a canvas, stephanie will give you *10%* off between now and the 9th by mentioning "ETSY WEDDING" in your note to seller.

see below for more general ideas, or check out geezees.com as well.






finally, i have to tell you about stephanie's *epic* patience, persistence, diligence, and friendliness. she followed up no fewer than 14 times over the past two months to help me remember, organize, and schedule this contest, and always in good humor. god bless. thank you for this fun giveaway!


*canadian friends, you are *included* -- i have offered to pay the difference in shipping to make up for the last-contest-we-didn't-win-that-excluded-canadians-but shall-remain-nameless (but i'm not bitter ;).

let's win a camcorder, mmmkay?

{ love wins art charm by jjbackman }

another 12+hour day at work (!) -- and just got one of those supposed-to-be-motivational, competition-inspiring emails from the folks over at the sandals dream honeymoon contest at fancyfortunecookies.com.

normally i am not a super-competitive type. if i were, i'd probably obsess more trying to read what the rest of the bridalogs are doing nine times a day to keep up. this week i can barely keep up with my own... (quality over quantity, right?)

but...

we cracked the top 10! we're #7, actually, and have two (yes!) days more until the contest is over.
even though we started later than everyone else (my fault! bad blogger. sorry.)

so... suddenly i'm feeling competitive.

as i mentioned in my earlier post, not only do *you* get a chance to win a 3-day all inclusive honeymoon package -- staying in the top 10 gives *me* a chance to win a Flip Video MiniHD camcorder in a random drawing that, if i happen to win it, i will give directly to one of you. (to make it fair, you will have to have the confirmation email that you entered their contest to win). meta-contest. trippy.

enter here if you like, and please be sure to read the rules. contest ends wednesday.

more contests to come, and more posts!
now back to work...

honeymoon giveaway!

free stuff for you!

as promised, the first of several contests -- fancyfortunecookies.com, a woman-run small business in indianapolis, wants to give you a chance to win a 3-night stay at all-inclusive sandals or beaches resort. ooh la la.

(i'm guessing to make it a full honeymoon you'd want to extend, but 3 days is a pretty good start in this economy!)

if you're into free beach and all that sounds good to you, to enter the contest, you sign up for their mailing list. as you might tell by the name, fancyfortunecookies.com makes fancy fortune cookies (both regular and in colors/flavors, an idea invented by a former ringling bros. clown -- not kidding!). and of course you can unsubscribe from the list if you prefer not to receive fortune-cookie-mail indefinitely.

per our fortunate cookie-friends:

The Sandals Dream Honeymoon Giveaway will end on May 20th, 2009 at 11:59P.M. ET.
The drawing for the giveaway will take place on or about May 22nd, 2009.

fine print: just so you know, i'm told there is a $25.00 fee per room per night, so the grand prize isn't *completely* free -- seems likely most people wouldn't mind paying $75.00 for a 3-night stay for two at an all-inclusive resort, but thought you should know. also, only u.s. residents may enter. i promise more contests in the future, canadian friends!

i have included this non-etsy vendor because a) people like contests and winning things, b) erin, who wrote me from the company, was really really nice, loves working with brides, and seriously loves fortune cookies, and c) the blogger who sends the most folks over there gets entered to win an iPod touch or a flip video camcorder (!), which if i win i promise to *also* give away to you readers (!!!), so it's like a meta-contest. you have until may 20th!

etsy wedding is simply the messenger, so if you have questions about the contest, or of course about fancy fortune cookies, please contact the company directly.

here again is the link to enter, and good luck!