Washington might be the Evergreen State, but we are definitely starting to see some autumn colors here in Seattle! Fall is one of the most beautiful times of the year in so much of the country. If you love autumn leaves as much as we do, here are some of our products that would be perfect for a fall wedding or event.
Pressed Japanese Maple Leaves
The crafting possibilities are endless with these pressed red Japanese Maple leaves. Attach them to paper goods for decorations or use them in resin art. We also offer custom invitations with pressed leaves added to create a unique and memorable invitation for your wedding or other event!
Custom invitation with Maple LeavesCustom Lotka Invitation with Maple Leaf
We also have a whimsical leaf die cut shape, which is available in a variety of our seeded papers in printed and blank options. The leaf shown below is made of our handmade, #12S seeded paper which contains kenaf fibers.
Seed Paper Leaf Die Cut in #12S
You can also get creative this fall with our pressed oak leaves, available below:
Pressed Oak Leaves
Does autumn inspire you to stay in and get crafty as the weather gets cooler? Show us your projects or contact us with ideas for custom printed items!
In ancient Greek mythology, Iris is the personification of a rainbow. She makes a rainbow bridge to travel between the heavens and waters below to fetch drinks for the gods in Olympus. The freedom to travel between these worlds allows her to be the messenger, the communicator between mortals and immortals. Folks usually ‘wish upon a star,’ but next time I see a rainbow, I’ll give my hopes to Iris so she can carry them where they need to be heard.
Speaking of rainbows and communication, I think of Lori Graham as our very own ‘Iris in Residence.’ She’s our color impresario, the master dyer and co-owner of Of The Earth. She creates glorious rainbows of ribbons using sustainable practices. She obsesses about shades, and recently I took an opportunity to speak with her about color.
Q: Lori, besides the lovely ribbons of cotton and silk for Of The Earth, do you dye other materials?
Lori: Yes, I used to dye wool and cotton fabric using natural and chemical dyes.
Q: What were your favorite colors when you were younger?
Lori: When I was young, it was pink pink pink! Pink duvet, bedspread, pink lace – all pink – all the time. Then in my early twenties, lots of black. Now it’s orange.
Earth Silk Color 089Earth Silk Color 053Earth Silk ribbon adorns a bridesmaid dressEarth Silk Color 099Earth Silk Color 092
Q: When new Pantone colors are released, do you generally agree with their trend sense?
Lori: I am interested in their bridal color forecast. That’s what I pay attention to because that’s what my clients will ask for. But I’m not always jazzed about the Pantone forecast and dread the “muted” or ambiguous tones that I’ll need to develop. For example, ‘seafoam’ (324, 324-5, 534, or 515?) and ‘merlot’ (093, 030, 247-5, or 232-5?) Both can be imagined in so many different ways.
Q: What is the most difficult color to achieve?
Lori: Right now I would have to say it’s “warm black.”
Earth Silk Color 079Earth Silk Color 241
Black is a finicky mixture of colors and achieving the subtle differences in black shades is more of an art than a science. You’ve probably seen how when bleach splashes on black clothes, you get a lighter blotch, but it’s not grey or “pale black.” You may see a green, purple, orange, or blue blotch.
Lori continues: Regardless of ingredient inconsistencies, we are determined to create true colors for our clients. In the past, ‘warm black’ may have been a two step process. But more alterations and futzing is required when the original ingredients are different. So, we keep copious notes and are constantly working to ensure that our shades match our swatches. Our colors are definitely a secret recipe!
Q: Do you dream in color, and when you dress up to go out, what is your happiest celebration color?
Lori: Yes, I definitely dream in color and I feel best wearing the colors of a candle’s flame: red, bright orange, fiery yellow and teal blue of the hottest part.
At the end of winter, a petite curly haired woman came into our shop looking for special paper to print her friend’s painting onto. It was an image of Fairy Glen in Scotland. She planned to use the image in her wedding invitation.
Printed silk ribbon
While she found our lotka seeded cardstock to be perfect for her project, she was also enchanted by the idea of using our hand dyed ribbons for a #handfasting ceremony. I told her that we can even print her and her fiance’s names on the ribbon. I hope we see her in the shop again soon because that would be a fun project.
Hand dyed silk satin ribbon with holiday message
The green and gold ribbon image was posted in Pinterest by Studio Chavelli, one of our customers. It features hand-calligraphy for a bouquet. The pink and red images are printed here in our shop. So you can get a custom message printed in black or white.
You are welcome to come visit our shop in Seattle and find inspiration for your next celebration.
Here are some links to details about #FairyGlen and #Handfastings. Handfasting Fairy Glen
The SeaTac Airport C Gate could be renamed the “C is for Craft” Gate. In May 2019 a new shop opened there in partnership with Seattle Made that offers locally-made products for travelers.
Sea-Tac Seattle Made shop
Only in C Gate will you find Of The Earth seeded paper cards featuring photos taken by our own Kevin Graham.
Seed paper goods in Sea-Tac Seattle Made shop
Of The Earth is a member of Seattle Made, a group who work together to grow their production businesses. The mission is “to grow and support a diverse ecosystem of urban manufacturers and producers that expand opportunities for local ownership and meaningful employment, build our region’s long-term resiliency, and celebrate Seattle’s unique cultural identity.” Of The Earth’s business aligns perfectly with this effort and we are fortunate to have our products featured in the airport store.
Next time you travel by air via SeaTac’s C Gate, stop by the Seattle Made shop to buy a card, or other locally made gifts, and take us with you!
We were abuzz in the workroom this week. A bride-to-be in Colorado ordered favors with a customized “Meant to Bee” message on the back. I wonder if the couple met through a shared interest in gardening. Regardless, these little treats are sweet as honey and I hope their wedding guests love them.
We have hexagons with bees and a “Plant Me!” message on the back. Let us know if you’d like to join the hive!
my favorite ribbon color 076Ardis Burr surrounded by ribbons
Hello, my name is Ardis and I’m the newest staff member making fabulous things for you here at Of The Earth. A lifelong crafter, I consider this my “unicorn job:” being surrounded by rainbows of silk ribbons, luscious and soft handmade paper, and bright graphic printed papers from Asia. I began training here in October and am excited to see what this Spring’s “wedding season” will bring. Owners Kevin and Lori promise it will be a whirlwind ride – and we’re ready for it! I look forward to helping fiancés and their families find the perfect combination of sustainable and beautiful items to celebrate their special days.
The ribbon I’m holding is my current favorite, 076. It makes me think of city lights at night, a fast roadway, and dramas set in downtown Chicago.
It is long past time to be sharing these photos that have been inspirational to our brides.
We have had the great fortune of having our paper and ribbon goods featured on many talented designers, artists and photographers Instagram feeds. While we have our own feeds (ote_seattle, and of_the_earth) they really don’t hold a candle to the creative skills shown in the photos we have seen.
What we have planned here is to share with you the many photos with proper attribution.
If you do end up sharing these with your friends and family, please be sure to give the appropriate nod or mention of the original group of skilled individuals so their work is not in vain.
Lotka Seed Paper Invitation – Letter and Line Studio
Styling: @bixbayandpine Photo: @toniechristine Original post: @letterandlinestudio
Florals: Moelleux Events
Silk Ribbon: Of The Earth Florals: @moelleux_events Photographer: @alyssaryanphotography
Floral design by Smashing Petals Hand dyed silk ribbon by Of The Earth
With the new year comes one of our favorite events, The Seattle Wedding Show. The creative energy has been flowing in our studio and we have designed some beautiful new invitation suites and hand dyed silk ribbon colors for the upcoming wedding season. Stop by our booth to take a sneak peak or visit our updated website. Now mobile friendly!
http://www.custompaper.com
6 x 9 handmade seeded paper wrap with belly band and poppy5 x 7 recycled panel with handmade paper print5 x7 handmade seeded paper panel with queen anne’s lace2.5″ hand dyed, cream and gold, bias cut silk ribbon
Seattle Wedding Show
Washington State Convention & Trade Center
705 Pike Street, 4th Floor
Seattle, WA 98101 Of The Earth booth #1124
Saturday January 14th, 2017
10:00am to 5:30pm (ticket sales open at 9:30am)
Sunday January 15th, 2017
10:30am to 5:00pm (ticket sales open at 10:00am)
Tickets are $17.00 per person and can be purchased at the door.
Children twelve and under are admitted free.
Come to the show Saturday, get your hand stamped on the way out, and come back Sunday for FREE.
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.
