The {NewNew} May - wrap up!

Another busy month for the {NewNew}!
We branched out in our advertising and promotional efforts, wrapped up a solid month of indie wedding posts, had our May meeting, discussed things going forward, and some of us got a bit of press.

The {NewNew} Weddding Blog Promo
The whole month of May we targeting our blog posts and tutorials to preparing for a wedding - giving personal anecdotes and creative ways to solve some standard bride problems. WabisabiBrooklyn, KimmChi, Cakehouse, WaiSze, JoanneTracyDesigns, LoveForever, Bubolina, DewOnAPetalHome, Fubabee, Citybitz and Ikyoto all reviewed some great local gifts solutions, as well as gave some great insight and how-to's.

The {NewNew} is getting the word out!
About 17 members pooled their resources together to participate in the MTV Lounge Sampler and donate items for distribution to celebrities and the media.

The {NewNew} Live and in Person
We continued our presence at The Brooklyn Flea at 176 Lafayette Ave in Fort Greene Brooklyn 10am to 5pm. Taking on some more members into the rotation, bringing it up to 25 participants adding WaiSze, CharlieandSarah, Fofolle, BeadScarf, BirdInHandYarn, Loveforever, Ikyoto and KPetuck to the existing rotation of cakehouse, Citybiz, DewOnAPetalHome, Dripstick, EmilyEJewelry, Fubabee, JTSTitches, KarensMonsters, Kimmchi, MetalSugar, MTLopez9, NordeaSoaperie, Vyphuisdesigns, and Wabisabi brooklyn .

The Brooklyn Indie Market is back for the summer - each Saturday from 11am to 7pm Under the red and white striped tent on Smith and Union Street, Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn. WabisabiBrooklyn and Fofolle host a revolving roster of Indie designers.

May 17 and 18 was Etsy weekend at Artist's & Fleas at 129 North 6th Street between Bedford and Berry.

The second Brooklyn Homeshow happened on May 18. Several {NewNew} members; BetterThanJam, Dripstick, Fubabee, KreatedbyKarina, FadingFlowers, CharlieAndSarah, EmilyEJewelry, NewYorkClocks, JoanneTracyDesigns and KarensMonsters participated, selling a wide range of handmade goods.

The {NewNew} in the Press Karin of BetterThanJam was featured on ThreadBanger to promote the Brooklyn Homeshow, on May 9 in a segment where she demonstrates silkscreening with freezer paper.

MTLopez9 was reviewed on Rare Bird Finds on May 12.

Modish features Cakehouse's handmade space on May 27.

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Coming up in June we've got Cakehouse and MetalSugar at the Renegade Craft Fair both Saturday June 14 and Sunday June 15.

Also on June 15 will be Park Slope's Seventh Heaven Craft Fair.

And look for Kayte of LoveForever's new book coming out June 1st, it's called Complete Embellishing: Techniques and Projects (available through Amazon).

And check back with us in June for a slew of Dad's and Grads posts as well as travel inspired crafting.

-Kimm
KimmChi.etsy.com

Frugal & Fanciful: A Tip for Engagement Parties and Bridal Showers

When it comes to bridal showers and engagement parties, frugal and fanciful can go hand in hand. All it takes is a little bit paper and some DIY spirit! Here are some great ideas that anyone can tackle:

Candy stations provide a pretty backdrop to your event. It also creates a fun gathering place for all the sweet-toothed guests. Wrap your favorite candy in colorful tissue and twist the ends together. Add a sticker to personalize.

Not only do favors make great decor, it is versatile enough to accommodate any style and budget. Use origami paper squares and double-sided tape to create a pouch. Fill with sweets, tie with ribbon and add a mini tag, and voila! Fun and festive treats for all.

Your gift as a centerpiece? You bet! Cut out heavy corrugated paper to form "cake layers" to wrap your gift. Tape ribbon around the edges to cover the seams. Create flowers by using tissue paper and cleaning pipes.

Your bride-to-be will get a kick out of it!

–Lisa–

Where to Find The {NewNew} on May 31 + June 1

Check out the Brooklyn Indie Market with stylish skirts by Fofolle and vintage-inspired decoupage jewelry by wabisabi brooklyn at Smith and Union Street in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn from 11 to 7 on Saturday May 31. UPDATE:Brooklyn Indie Market is POSTPONED until Sunday June 1 this week due to impending hail storms.

On Sunday we continue our Brooklyn Flea presence with Fubabee, MTLopez9, ikyoto, CityBitz, DewOnAPetalHome, KMStitchery, PresenceOfColor, EmilyEJewelry and Luxsugar. The Brooklyn Flea is at 176 Lafayette Ave in Fort Greene Brooklyn 10am to 5pm.

Gifts for your Bridesmaids

There were many things that I loved to do for my wedding and one of them was picking out the perfect gifts for my bridesmaids. I'm sure many of you feel the same way so I am here to help you with my guide for picking out the perfect additions for your Bridesmaid from the {NewNew} Etsy Street Team. I love receiving a basket or bag of goodies (above photo are the bags I made for my wedding party) so I present you a few of my favorites.

Dewonapetalhome's travel tin candles are always good to have on hand and smells great.

I love handmade soap and it just adds an extra touch of elegance to any bathroom. Nordeasoaperie's lavender soap would make a lovely addition.

Monogram is still in & so is the desire for handwritten notes. Fubabee's personalized note cards is the perfect item to have so that you and your bridesmaids will always be in touch.

Monogram this, monogram that. How about these lovely embroidered napkins from cakehouse? Love them!

I don't know about you, but now that I have my own place, I'm all about decorating, and littletilegnome's coasters will certainly jazz up any coffee table or counter.

Let's not forget the jewelry. It may not be original, but offer your bridesmaids a handmade & unique piece such as Joannetracydesigns and I'm sure they'll be blown away and treasure it forever.

Still need more ideas? Give them something sentimental with my very own personalized scrapbooks.

There are so many fabulous gifts to give. I could go on and on. I hope this guide helps you out a bit. Oh, and if you happy to make an extra gift basket by accident, feel feel to send it my way.

Wai Sze

http://waisze.etsy.com/

Custom Wedding Mirrors

The words "cool" and "wedding gift" are rarely used together, but when it comes to Joan Huggard, they are. My husband and I married in Vegas, and Joan's gift to us - a stained glass mirror surrounded by pictures from the occasion - was by far one of our favorites, certainly the most unique and, of course, cool. Whether they're for yourself or someone else, I highly recommend Joan's products to anyone who is looking for that inimitable and one-of-a-kind creation.

Consider yourself a creative person and don't want to order from a bridal registry...Want to give something completely unique this time around...
What does one generally do with their wedding photos anyway? Maybe one will up in a silver frame, the rest most likely reside in an album on a shelf somewhere. Why not showcase them in a way that the couple can be constantly reminded of their "special day".

Joan Huggard of Citybitz will use your very own photographs to create a unique gift which will be cherished for years to come.

Here are a few examples:

We hang our mirror photo collage at the entrance hall of our home, where it is prominently on view. We get an array of compliments from it every time someone enters. It's an awesome conversational piece.

Joan exceptionally seems to have immersed herself in our mirror. I've known Joan as a friend for over five years. She is a distinctive and charismatic person, and I vow that she puts an extension of herself in her work. This is evident in the way Joan intuitively selects the photographs based on people, places and moments, in order to capture the very essence of our mirror's collage theme.

Joan has a rare gift for combining the personalities, emotions, and underlying feelings of an event. The picture of our first kiss as the official married us, placed perfectly behind the snap shots of a rustic Mexican valley, is a classic that my husband and I will treasure forever. Our family was so impressed with the mirror photo collage, that we commissioned her for another for our in-law's anniversary.

For information regarding sizes and pricing email joan@citybitz.com

www.citybitz.com

www.citybitz.etsy.com

Wedding memory quilts

There is something timeless and sentimental about a quilt, and quilts can be a great way to capture memories from a wedding. I've made two wedding quilts. A bit of how-to:

Bridal Shower Quilt:

--The bride decided on her favorite quilt colors. I selected light-colored fabrics in a variety of solid and subtle cotton prints and used a rotary cutter and cutting mat to trim the fabrics into large squares.

--At the bridal shower, each guest was given a fabric square and a selection of permanent fabric markers. Participants were asked to write a message to the couple on the squares-- well wishes, words of wisdom, etc... Guests were asked to leave a one-inch blank border around the edge of the fabric square for a seam allowance.

--After the shower, I sewed the squares into a simple patchwork quilt. To add graphic interest I also included a few appliqued quilt squares.

--The end result was great. The couple married in 2002 and still have the quilt, which includes messages from their closest relatives and friends.

Wedding Chuppah:

--After hearing about the bridal shower quilt that I'd made, I was asked to make a chuppah for a friend's wedding. A chuppah is a canopy under which a Jewish wedding takes place. The photo on the right is an example of one used at an outdoor wedding (from 'paperandthreads').

--Large cream-colored cotton quilt squares (cut to 10x10 inches) were mailed out to 30 of the couple's close friends and family. Each person was asked to decorate a quilt square with some kind of memory for the couple, and then mail them back. Participants were asked to leave a blank one-inch border around the square for a seam allowance, so I didn't sew into their designs.

--The completed quilt squares were beautiful! Each one was an individual work of art, some serious, some silly. The squares included handwritten messages, iron-on photos, embroidery, etc....

--I sewed the squares into a patchwork quilt and added a border around the outside edge of the quilt. At each corner of the quilt I added a buttonhole.

--To make the quilt into a chuppah, I purchased thick wooden dowels (approximately 1 1/2 inches in diameter) and cut them to an appropriate height. At the top of each dowel I screwed in large metal rings. The chuppah was attached to the wooden poles with ribbons that tied through the button holes and the metal rings. The poles were decorated with flowers and vines for the ceremony.

--At the wedding ceremony, the couple married under this special chuppah, filled with well-wishes from many of their wedding guests. The chuppah is in their wedding photos and is a lasting memory of their wedding and the good wishes people had for them as they embarked on their marriage.

--Joanne-----

Where to Find the {New New} on May 25

This holiday weekend is quiet for the group, but we will continue our rotating residence at the Brooklyn Flea on Sunday.

Representing will be: Fofolle, wabisabi brooklyn, waiszedesigns, loveforever, kpetuck, Ikyoto, Vyphuisdesigns, littletilegnome, MTLopez9, and Luck(x4).

The Brooklyn Flea is at 176 Lafayette Ave in Fort Greene Brooklyn 10am to 5pm.

My Crafty Shower

I have never been one for "the rules" so when my now- husband and I got engaged 2 years ago, we didn’t do anything by the book. I had some very specific ideas of things I didn’t want as part of my wedding: no white dress, no big diamond ring and certainly no dainty, girly wedding shower.
Luckily for me, I have (in my humble opinion) the best friends in the world and they totally get me. The wedding shower they dreamed up fit me to a T and neither of them had to take out bank loans to pay for it!

The shower was on a Sunday afternoon at a local bar. My friends provided snacks and handmade cupcakes.

My friend Margaret hanging up some tissue paper flowers in the backyard


Jen and Lorelei, who threw the shower for me, made lots and lots of Mexican paper flowers to decorate the bar. I liked them so much that I made a bunch more for my wedding party. Here’s a little tutorial for making these festive flowers.

Everyone gets busy making mini-shrines.

I was very against “shower games” but I do like fun activities! We all sat outside on this gorgeous spring day and made mini-shrines from altoid tins.

Pretty little mini-shrines all in a row.

Again, friends donated craft supplies, old books and magazines to use in the craftiness. My shrine has two birds inside but just one on the cover to symbolize my independence even as I join my life with another person.

My shrine is on the left in front of some totally delish cupcakes.

Finally guests were given little rabbit cookies as favors. When my husband and I first started dating, he got a pet rabbit and Potato (and rabbits in general) has become a big part of our lives. It’s kind of silly, but its little things like this that make an event special and meaningful.
Since I had no part in planning this glorious event, I asked Lorelei for a few tips in planning a crafty shower of your own.

- If you don't have the use of someone's big, beautiful home (and who does in New York?), seek out a local cafe/bar with lots of space. Often, they'll let you use it for free in exchange for a promise to buy a punch bowl of the special house drink or other delicacies they might have. They might even open up early so you can have the place to yourself!
-You want a project that even people who can't imagine being crafty can get into. Examples are mini-shrines, barrettes, flower pins, you get the idea. The only caveat is to be sure it's a project the bride will enjoy making. Something that's a nice keepsake of the day is good, too.
- Be prepared to give a small tutorial before the crafting begins. And it's also a great time to talk about the awesomeness of the lady getting married. She can never get enough compliments!
- Lay out your supplies in an orderly fashion so that people know where the ribbon pile is, the paper pile, etc. Have more glue and scissors on-hand that you think you need, it's always good to be prepared. Have them in a central, easy to access spot, and treat it like a buffet line. People can line up and take what they need as they walk past, returning for things they need.

This is me looking rather goofy, but totally happy, in my vintage apron and handmade tiara.

- Bring a lovely vintage apron or something sewn especially for the event for the bride to wear during crafting, especially if there's glue involved. Also, it would be fun to make her a tiara.
- Ask all the crafty people you know to donate supplies to cut down on your supply budget, and tap the crafty ladies who can't attend, they will always want to be involved. Ebay is another great place to get things in bulk, especially if you need a lot of the same item, but be sure to give yourself time for auctions/shipping. Be creative in your sourcing, you never know who has a ream of gorgeous old ledger paper hanging out in their attic!
- Have a craft night devoted to making all your decorations so that you don't feel so overwhelmed. Also good to have one for making the goodie bags.
- As with all showers, it's good to start planning a couple of months before the event. It gives you time to brainstorm gift bags, projects, gather supplies, who will do what, etc.
- Use biodegradable cellophane bags for the goodie bags, and put something edible in there. People do not need more stuff cluttering up their lives, and a few prettily iced cookies in a fun shape are tasty, affordable, and easy to make.
- If you have guests who like to bake, ask them to make cupcakes, it's fun to get a good variety (don't forget the vegans!), and also more affordable, and you don't need utensils to eat them. You can make pretty signs to put in front of each flavor.

Thanks Lorelei!

kayte

thisisloveforever.com/blog
loveforever.etsy.com

knitted bridal accessories and old world wedding traditions

Some traces of the old traditional weddings are still remaining today and are reflected in the wedding tradition itself, the symbols of unity happiness and prosperity; messages that stand the test of time.

One of the most popular and practiced today is the custom for brides to wear “something old, new, borrowed

and blue”. The "something old" represents the bond to the bride's family and her old life; "something new"

represents the couple's new life together and their future hope for happiness, prosperity and success; "something borrowed" from a happily married woman is meant to impart similar happiness to the bride; and "something blue" represents fidelity and constancy.

Wearing white also dates back to Victorian times when Queen Victoria abandoned the usual royal tradition of wearing a silver gown, instead choosing to wear white.

The wedding tradition of the groom wearing a boutonniere originates in medieval times when a knight wore his lady's colors (through flowers) as a statement of his love.

Flowers and bouquets have long been used in weddings.

In addition to adorning the bride with flowers to promote good luck and good health flower meanings allow the bride to express her feelings for the groom. Orange blossoms signify purity, daisies loyalty, violets modesty and red roses signify true love.
The traditional folk costumes embrace traits of the various cultures representing the old traditions beliefs and customs passed on from one generation to another. They convey the skill and inventiveness of native designers – mostly women, who manufactured themselves their outfits of homespun thread (usually wool, linen, cotton, hemp, silk), using traditional tools.