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Belle Soul Wedding – Styled Shoot

So we were contacted by Allann and Sage from Belle Soul Weddings about our silk ribbon.  After determining what they needed we sent what we thought would work best for their shoot.  Please tune in here for the amazing results!

Green Earth Silk Ribbon
hand dyed Earth Silk ribbon

 

https://www.dropbox.com/styled-shoot.mp4

 

Earth Silk Ribbon - Photo Shoot
Noel Perrone photography – Hand dyed silk ribbon by Of The Earth

A great deal of work went into this production.  Please see below for all of the hardworking contributors.

 

Photography: Noel Perrone www.noelperrone.com

instagram: @noelperrone

Concept and Design: Belle Soul Weddings www.bellesoulweddings.com

instagram: @bellesoulweddings

Cake and Florals: Belle Soul Weddings www.bellesoulweddings.com

instagram: @bellesoulweddings

Hair and Make-up Design: Sunkissed and Made Up www.sunkissedandmadeup.com

instagram: @sunkissedandmadeup

Gown was provided by Now and Forever Bridal Boutique  @nowandforeverbridalbtq

Paper Suite: Elins Art Studio www.elinsartstudio.se

instagram: elinsartstudio

Bridal Headpiece and Boutoneirre : www.thewildroseaccessories.se

instagram: thewildroseaccessories

Ribbon: Of the Earth  http://www.custompaper.com/

instagram: @of_the_earth

Ring: Wild Gems by Sarah Lajah (custom made) http://wildgems.com/

Tux: Menguin https://www.menguin.com/

Lingerie: Petticoat Fair http://petticoatfair.com/

instagram: @petticoat_fair

Furniture: Marquee Rentals San Antonio ; http://www.marqueeeventgroup.com/

instagram: marqeesatx

Violinist, Talmage Spackman (Tal let us know how you want to be credited and if there is a web address)

instagram: @talspackman

Videographer, Honeygem Creative: http://honeygemcreative.com/

instagram: @honeygemcreative

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Magnolia Rouge Wedding Styled Shoot

We were excited to see the news that a photo shoot we participated in (well, our ribbon anyway) was featured this week on MagnoliaRouge.com.

You can see the feature photos here.

You can see the whole collection from the wedding photo shoot here

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Wedding Experts! That’s what they called us!

The Seattle Bride Magazine just shared a link on Facebook that talks about an article we contributed to, and they called us “experts”.

Ha! We fooled them, didn’t we?

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Of-The-Earth/

Here’s a direct link to the article.

http://seattlebridemag.com/expert-wedding-advice

We come off sounding pretty good actually.  The quote is taken from a larger message they asked us to contribute last year.  You can find the complete message here on our blog if you do some digging.

 

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Planting seeds. Life, death, love and loss; a reminder.

Seed paper in bloom

I just received a very touching thank you call from a customer in Florida who ordered from us in November of last year. She called simply to say thank you but conveyed much more than just gratitude. Last year she lost her mom and had struggled with how to create a meaningful remembrance of her. She ended up using some of our seed paper and while I do remember speaking with her, I don’t remember what she ordered. What she left me with today was an indelible moment that makes what we do so rewarding and rich.

I often tell people how fortunate I am to be working in the wedding industry as we are helping people who are in one of the happiest times of their lives. Most of our customers are super excited, super happy and very fun to work with. The seed paper that we make is celebrated by our brides as a way to spread an earth friendly message with each wedding invitation. They are also used as wedding favors and fun ways to engage the guests at our customer’s events. As more people learn about seed paper we are more and more commonly printing memorial cards and sending heart shapes for celebration of life events. The pain of loss is often evident in the tired and aching voices of these customers. Just as I get charged up from the excitement that a newly engaged couple brings to us; I am also touched by the grief of our customers who experienced a recent loss.

The woman today gave me chills with her sharing of the happiness and gratitude she felt. She spoke of the rains in Florida that had to be kept off of the tender shoots and how most but not all of the paper was successful. She told me of the family members around the country who watched the flowers grow and thought of her mom and who shared those thoughts with her. One orange flower in particular struck her as a message that brought emotion to her voice that made it difficult to speak. I was touched at how meaningful this was for her and how she was moved to give us a call.

I do have a wonderful job. The bittersweet truth of it is that without the pain and grief of loss; the joy of love, family and friendship cannot feel as rich. They are two sides of the same coin and I am grateful to this customer for reminding me of it.

Kevin

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WA state artists: ARTIST TRUST WANTS TO HEAR FROM YOU!

 

This great organization helped us out with a cash gift when our papermaking studio was damaged in the 2001 Nisqually Earthquake.  They are putting a call out to Washington State artists and we are helping them get the message out.artist trust
Artist Trust is conducting a statewide survey to better understand and respond to the needs of individual artists of all disciplines and diversities. Every entry will be entered into a drawing to win a $200 prize for one lucky artist to apply towards things they need for making their art. The survey closes midnight April 20, 2015. https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PX2BB5N

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Customer Feedback – How a quick recap of our customer’s experience keeps us motivated

   So here I am working on Saturday again, wishing I was with my family but still loving what I do.

   We filled over 40 sample requests this morning, broke ground on our new bachelor button flower bed, revised customer wedding proofs and generally tried to catch up from a hectic week.

   Feeling like I needed a break but unable to take one with everything that has to be done, I decided to check one item off the long list of overdue jobs as a means of getting a break of sorts; at least I was doing a new job, one that had not been done since 2013 and one that does recharge the batteries.

   I just updated our customer feedback page on custompaper.com.  It used to be that we would receive thank you notes mailed to us.  That is not so common anymore.  Now they just arrive via email.  We love hearing from our customers and are always so grateful when they share their happiness with us, however the messages arrive.  There are plenty of nice comments that reach us throughout the year but these are always our favorite as they are not solicited.  Etsy, Ebay and Amazon all prompt our customers to leave feedback about their purchase and we have many happy notes that arrive to us from those sites but the ones that are emailed to us directly just feel that much more genuine, and well deserved.  So thank you customers!  I do love the little boost I get from reading your words.

   I have shared them here with you so that other folks who have not yet decided where to buy their wedding supplies might be influenced by our customer’s words.  These are their words, the only edits have been to remove their last names.

   And now, back to work.

 Kevin

 

THEY ARE GORGEOUS!!!

Thank you so much!!!!!

We are thrilled and will definitely use you guys again!

Courtney

Thank you so much! So far it’s been a pleasure doing business with Of the Earth, It has become one my favorite websites and I will most definitely recommend you guys!
Best regards,
Joselyn T

Wonderful products and friendly support! Thank you for such a beautiful resource!

Hi Kevin, I got my paper I ordered in today and the burgundy color you suggested is perfect! Goes great with black marble. Thanks for the insight. I am sure I will be ordering more in the future. Thanks Again, Greg

Dear Custom Paper:

I ordered sometime ago the sapphire swirl Lotka paper. Today I used some of it to wrap Christmas presents.

It was beautiful.

Ed S

Hi Kevin,

Thank you so much! I can’t wait to get them in. You have been wonderful to work with, I really appreciate your patience and timeliness. I will certainly recommend you to friends and family in the future.

Sincerely,

Melissa R

I have had a wonderful experience working with Kevin. He has been incredibly helpful and very fast with returning emails and sending proofs. I cannot wait to get the invitations in. I just know they are going to be absolutely beautiful. Thank you!

Hi Kevin,
The invitations have finally arrived and they are absolutely stunning and unique!!! There is not much to say apart from the fact that these are the most beautiful wedding invitations I have ever seen.

Thanks a lot for all your hard work and precious help
Veronica

Kevin,

You are absolutely amazing!! I don’t even know how to thank you! You have gone above and beyond in every way possible and you have my sincerest gratitude!! If I could please have your address, I would make me very happy to send you a little thank you 🙂 Thanks again, Kevin! You are just incredible!

Anna

Hello,

I wanted to let you know that people can not stop calling me regarding my wedding invitations! They are perfect! Thanks again.

Sara 🙂

Hi, Im a beekeeper and I live in Quebec Canada. For many years by now, I use the lotka printable seed paper to make my honey labels. My little business grow up now and I also use your paper for many of my other product as cosmetics made with hives products (wax, honey, pollen etc…)

The people are always impress when I tell them to plant their labels and flowers will grow up :-). Many of them ask me how to proceed and I just decided to put the instructions on my web site. I would also like to give a little description of how you made this paper.

On your web site, its written that paper is made in Nepal by rural craft peoples. Could you explain me a little more what are Rural craft peoples exactly please? Do they are artists or peoples who try to get a better life?

Thank you very much for those precisions and congratulation for this wonderful paper that Im proud to use.

annie l

Good Afternoon Kevin,

I received the invitations today, they’re gorgeous! Thank you so much for putting them together and making this day so very special for us. They are the most beautiful invitations I’ve ever seen and will surely make our wedding day a fairytale come true. Thanks again

Lori & Gord

The process was quick and easy. Thank you for offering free samples for my wedding.

Oh wow! I just submitted my ordered and you’ve shipped in less than two hours! I love how reliably fast you work, not to mention great ribbon every time. Thank you, and have a beautiful weekend!

Leora Mauck, Co-Proprietor

Copper Willow Paper Studio

310.836.6004 and www.copperwillow.com

Hi Kevin,

I received the order, everything looks amazing!!

I want to thank you for your help, I will definitely recommend you and the company to anyone who asks!!

If you have a manger, I’d like to let him / her know how helpful and patient you were.

Thanks again!

Tanja

Thank you so much for sending us the samples in the mail. We thought that it would make our decision process easier but we loved everything!! Great quality product. We look forward to receiving the invitations we FINALLY decided upon soon. I will highly recommend you to anyone who is seeking stationary that is: outside the box. Many thanks again!

I absolutely love this paper company. For my wedding, I designed my own invitations using Of the Earth materials, saved a ton of money, and my guests were amazed to learn about seeded paper. I even planted my scrap materials for blooming wedding favors! Now I am starting my own company, and they have been so helpful while I select materials for boxes, packaging, and labels. Thank you!

Kevin Graham was a pleasure to work with and huge help.

The invitations are gorgeous and they arrived at the perfect time.

Thanks again for the excellent service!

Cheers,

Kelly S

Kevin,

I’m absolutely in awe over my wedding invitations!!! They are so much more than I’d imagined! Thank you for everything! I will highly recommend you in any way I can.

Sincerely,

Jessica

Hi Kevin-

I just mailed out our invitations you printed for me and I’m getting tons of compliments on them!

I thought they were beautiful and I’m so glad to hear others think so too 🙂

Thanks for everything!!

adrian

Appreciate the samples and the quick response. I am ordering this spool based on the color swatches I received, so thanks!

Thank you so much for all your help and prompt replies! It’s not often I receive customer service this great. I really appreciate it!!

Jessica

Excellent! Thanks again, Kevin. We love our invitations!

Thank you for excellent customer service. Kevin is helpful and courteous and a total pleasure to speak with. God Bless. LRD

Hi Kevin,

I just wanted to tell you how much I love the invotation! It is absolutely everything we wanted! Thank you for making it so easy and seamless to order everything.

The invitation is a work of art! Beautiful!

Many thanks!

Sarah B

 

 

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SewExpo 2015 Washington State’s (and the Nation’s) largest retail sewing show

Today is the fourth and final day of the annual sewing and stitchery show at the Washington State Fair Grounds.  We are wrapping up our first time exhibiting at this unique event.  The last time I was at the fairgrounds  was as a newlywed visiting the 1995 Puyallup Fair (since renamed the Washington State Fair).  The scones, oh my the scones.  These amazing treats have been a part of the Fair since 1910 and I was happy to enjoy a warm one yesterday.   Twenty years ago Lori and I had just started our marriage and business.  Today finds us with a maturing business (and marriage) and thousands of dollars in hand dyed silks at a sewing show.  Next year we will be better prepared with small project kits for silk flower making and fabric embellishments.

Our silk customers have recommended this show for years and now we know why!  With over 30,000 paid attendance we were happy to find the aisles full of crafty customers.

The Sewing and Stitchery Expo SewExpo is the largest consumer sewing show in America.  There are more than 100 daily seminars, workshops and shows.  There are over 400 booths packed with tools, supplies and fabrics.

I spoke to attendees from South Carolina, Arizona, Oregon, Idaho, California and Texas.  I saw a license plate in the parking lot from Tennessee!

You can buy a four day pass for $40 or visit one day for $12 to see a non-stop series of demos on the Free Stage and fashion models on the Expo Runway.  The daily hands-on classes always draw a crowd as participants learn a new technique and leave with a finished project.

We hope that if you found us there this year you will be back for more silk ribbon next year and if you have not attended this event before you will come see what all the fuss is about.

Our most popular item by far this year was our silk ribbon remnant bags followed closely by the five minute silk flower project found here: http://crazylittleprojects.com/?s=five+minute+fabric+flower

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Family Photography – Photobomb, or how to take a bad family photo – tips from a product photographer

As a dad I love to look back at photos I took of my children. I enjoy seeing both my children and skills as a photographer grow with time (check Commercial Photography Singapore | Commercial Videography Singapore | FramebyFrame.com.sg). One thing I have been very grateful for is how my kids have tolerated my sometimes intrusive camera. I am not a fan of the staged photograph preferring to catch my kids ignoring the camera. I spent so many years snapping away gently asking them not to hide their faces, not to react to me at all that eventually they listened. They no longer mug for the camera, they just continue about their business, letting me get the shots that they enjoy flipping through on the annual family calender.

One down side to having a camera in your hands so often is that I am commonly the one asked to snap the family portrait. That is too much responsibility for me. I am always disappointed with the result, not happy with the light or angle or staging, never pleased. I always feel rushed, inadequate and unprepared. I don’t like the spotlight and holding the camera with everyone looking into the lens makes me uncomfortable.

I just received an email from family we visited in December. They sent a pair of the shots I took the last time they handed me the camera. We had just spent the last several days visiting their wonderful new home and were getting everyone into the car to head back to Seattle. They handed me their camera and asked for a quick shot of the cousins together and then one of their family.

Not happy with the camera glare, I should have stepped a little closer to get out of the direct sunlight. I don’t have the skills or knowledge to make that kind of automatic adjustment. I could have been better positioned, I could have taken a few more just to be safe but I wanted out of the spotlight quickly.

I guess not everything is passed down from father to son.

Kevin

Do you want to use some photos in decor? Check out Canvas n Decor!
farris2farris

 

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Walking the New York Now Wholesale Gift Show 2015

Feb 3 2014

As I left the hotel this morning the brisk morning air quickly bit through my open buttons and found its way under my scarf, undoing the work of the hot shower in seconds. I saw a line of bundled up hotel guests entering the shuttle bus headed to the convention center, eight blocks away. I was momentarily drawn into line with them, eying the dirty slushy snow piled against the curb. But the sidewalk was clear, freshly salted and dry and I could not resist another walk to the Javits Center for day three of the gift show. I find walking to be very rewarding and cannot understand how more people do not celebrate their health in this simple way.

By the time I reached the convention center my body and mind were both ready to face another day of telling people about my work. I am a very private person by nature and have found this part of my job to be the most difficult. I do not value the work I do as highly as I am commonly told I should. I am very self deprecating, knowing that there are folks far more talented than me. Spending day after day, telling people why they should have our goods in their store is not my favorite. However, traveling to New York, walking the streets of this city, is a reward very worth the cost of being here.

Kevin Graham

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Seattle Bride Feature – A question of etiquette for the modern couple

Seattle Bride Magazine Cover

As a wedding professional with 20 years experience, I am regularly consulted on proper etiquette.  I always reply with two things in mind; what I already know about the event in question and what would kindness dictate?

In most answers I attempt to influence my customer with kindness as the guiding principal.  Should we include everyone’s name on the invitation or just the bride’s parents if they are issuing the invitation?  If you risk hurting someone’s feelings, choose kindness.  Should we send thank you notes to every guest that attended or only ones that brought gifts?  Were you happy that they attended?  Send them a note to express your thanks.  Choose kindness.  Should we include information about our gift registry on our invitation?  Do you want your guest to feel like a gift is their admission ticket to your wedding?  Don’t mention gifts with your invitation.  Having your family and friends witness your wedding vows has nothing to do with loot and everything to do with supporting the new couple from the very beginning of the sometimes rocky journey that is a marriage.  Choose kindness.  Don’t cheapen your ceremony with the slightest impression of greed.

If someone is asking their invitation guy for advice; they are either trying to find out quickly without doing their own research or they are checking to see if their mom is really right.  In most cases, mom is right so listen to her first.  She represents half of the invited guests and knows what is common or appropriate for those guests.  You may need to temper what mom offers up as there are two families being joined and they may have different ideas of what is proper.  This can be based on cultural or regional etiquette that is best to work out with the families involved.  What this becomes is a learning moment for the bride and groom, one of many in the planning of the event.  You need to ask the question of each other “Is it important to you that we are formal or casual in our planning and execution for our event?  Once you agree on the tone you can ensure that you follow the etiquette that represents the proper level of formality.

To ensure that you follow proper etiquette for your event you really have to have a conversation (or several) with your parents, with your bride or groom to be, with your wedding planner, and even with your invitation guy.  Once you have gathered the myriad opinions I suggest you make your decision based on kindness.  There really are a million ways you can plan your special day and once you have decided what is proper for your event, there will be opinions contrary to yours.  If you do choose kindness, it will never be the wrong answer.

Kevin Graham

January 14, 2015

Of The Earth

A quote from this article was published on page 50 in the January 2015 edition of the Seattle Bride Magazine.