Scenes from our 2013 Wedding Showcase

 Hello, Memory Bound friends! 
I hope you got a chance to stop by for our Wedding Showcase this past weekend! The Memory Bound gals did an absolutely outstanding job with this event. The classroom was filled with inspiring decor ideas! If you weren't already planning a wedding, there's a good chance you might even be looking for someone to marry after attending our Wedding Showcase! :)

In today's post, I'll give you a quick tour of some of the displays. Click HERE to see many more photos on our Facebook page! While you're on Facebook, don't forget to "like" us, too!

There were three color schemes for this year's wedding showcase: mint green/white, yellow/navy, and pink/burlap. Each area of the classroom was set up with handcrafted ideas to match -- invitations, table settings, favors, and much more. The beautiful flower arrangements were provided by Yvette at Shades of Nature.

 Burlap is a very popular element in crafting and wedding design. It adds a soft, natural touch to any color scheme. We have burlap in a variety of widths:

 Because of its neutral color, burlap works with any color combination. Here, we paired it with pink. Maggie painted the Mr. & Mrs. chipboard letters, then covered the fronts with paper. She added a bit of ink, then tied them together with strips of burlap for a beautiful table decoration. 

 

This is what the letters look like before alteration. You can apply the same technique to any of our chipboard pieces. It's an affordable way to create customized decorations!
 

 Here's another low-cost idea: Simple bottles become understated vases when tied with a bit of ribbon!

Memory Bound is a proud supplier of Envelopments, DIY invitations and paper crafting. This invitation is an example of the beautiful custom pieces you can create with Envelopments. Click HERE for more information!

Simple table signs become elegant when wrapped with ribbon and accented with a bit of bling:

 

What event would be complete without a banner or two? We have lots of options for creating your own!

Do you recognize the pink placemats in this photo? They were created with our Accu Cut die center: Just run a 12x12 sheet of cardstock through the die cutting machine! If you'd like to create placemats for your next event, stop by and purchase your cardstock at Memory Bound, then we'll show you how to cut your own for FREE in our die cutting area!

 The gals created little pockets from burlap for napkins and silverware. What a cute idea for a rehearsal dinner or shower! The card shown at the right, created by Maggie, is one of many available for purchase in our Staff Studio of handmade cards!

The hearts in the photo below were cut in our Accu Cut die cut center, then attached to twine for a simple and pretty garland.

 

Burlap flags make a cute way to number the tables at your reception. The numbers were cut from the large font in our Accu Cut die cut center.

 

 Here, we added letters from that same font to customize coasters. The little "Kisses" are simply attached to punched flowers with glue dots. How cute is that?

 

 Heidi created these beautiful wine glass charms using a variety of Tim Holtz pieces. What a great idea for the bride and groom!
  

 Mint green is the most popular wedding color right now. It creates an elegant, sophisticated look!

  

Got bling? We do! This bling is actually ribbon and adds instant glamour to most anything!

 

 Wrap the ribbon around an inexpensive white candle, and suddenly you've got a designer piece!

 

It gives a painted white chipboard letter understated elegance!

 

It can even become a napkin ring!

Remember Maggie's tulle balls? They make great ceiling decorations. Click HERE to learn how to make your own!

Yellow and navy is a bold, contemporary color combination for weddings.

These chevron transparencies make great placemats!

Here, we gave a simple metal basket an elegant facelift by wrapping it with tulle tied in a pretty bow. We filled it with tin cans covered with cardstock to create an inexpensive silverware caddy for a more casual reception.

  These beautiful chair decorations were one of my favorite parts of the display! They were created by spiral cutting circles from wide sheets of tulle, then tying them together. Stop in for more information on making your own. Dawn can order bolts of tulle in just about any color!

As you can see, our Wedding Showcase was filled with all kinds of beautiful ideas that YOU can create for your special day. And most of them can be adapted to any event you might be planning! Be sure to check our Facebook page (linked above) for many more photos, then stop in and let us help you get started making your big day as beautiful as you imagine!
Janet

Staff Project: Maggie's Birdhouses

Hello, Memory Bound friends! 

At our recent Staff Crop, Maggie was busy making birdhouses using a Tim Holtz Alterations die called Artful Dwellings. These little birdhouses make perfect decorations for showers, weddings, house-warming parties, and more! But that's not all you can make with this versatile die. In today's post, I'll share a bit more with you about Maggie's fun projects.

 

 This is the Artful Dwellings die, designed to work with the Big Shot or Vagabond machine.

This is what the die looks like out of the package. As you can see, there are four styles of "house fronts" on the die.

 To make a house, you'll need to cut two pieces -- a house front and back. You can use thin chipboard, grunge board, or cardstock. Maggie used thin chipboard then covered it with cardstock.

You'll cut your own sides and roof to customize your house to the desired dimensions. You can make your house as "deep" as you want. Just cut two walls and score on either end.

If you want an opening in your house, punch a hole in the front before adhering (or use a small Movers & Shapers die when you cut the house front to create a specially shaped window). Tape the walls to the house front and back with Tacky Tape or Scor-Tape.

 

To make a roof, simply cut a piece of chipboard or cardstock a little deeper than your house, then score and fold it.

 You can use a crimper to give your roof a little more texture.

 I love how Maggie added texture to the roof with a piece of burlap! And look at the tiny wreath made from twine! She added dots of Liquid Pearls for a bit of sparkle. Imagine how sweet this would be at a shower!

 And how cute is this one? Picture birdhouses in your wedding colors at your reception!

The Artful Dwellings die can be used for much more than birdhouses. This beautiful Christmas village was on display at the recent CHA trade show. What about a Halloween village? As you can see, the only limit is your imagination!

Thanks to Maggie for sharing her adorable birdhouses with us! You can see her inspiring creations on display at Memory Bound. If you'd like to make your own, stop in for supplies!

Janet

Wedding Showcase - February 23 & 24

 

  Memory Bound's Wedding Showcase

Saturday, February 23, 9am-5pm

Sunday, February 24, 12-5pm

 If you’re planning a wedding, you know that there are surely thousands of details to plan! From invitations to table decorations, favors to thank you notes...you want everything to be perfect. By making some pieces yourself, you'll save money and ensure that everything is as beautiful as you imagined!

If you're planning a wedding, stop in for our showcase of bridal paper crafts next weekend. Discover ideas for making invitations, explore options for everything from save-the-dates to escort cards, and check out our collection of invitations from Envelopments.
 

Many of our projects can be adapted for other special occasions such as showers, birthdays, and retirement celebrations. No matter what big event you're planning, you are sure to be inspired by all the beautiful paper crafting ideas we'll have on display! We hope to see you next weekend for this very special event!

Janet

Here are just a few photos from last year's event.

Scenes from Our January Staff Crop

Hello, Memory Bound friends! 

In today's post, we'll share photos from our recent Staff Crop. Several of the Memory Bound gals gathered in our store work room in late January for a day of fun! 

  Heidi brought lots of photos to scrapbook. She created some great pages for her husband's recent deployment (he is now safely home)! I love how she incorporated some special cards on the left page of this layout.

 

 Betsy worked on a beautiful project for our upcoming Wedding Showcase, scheduled for February 23-24. This is just one of many inspiring projects you'll see at this annual event!

 

Gloria was hard at work on Valentine's Day projects!

 

 

Here's Diana with her extensive collection of Copic markers! She uses the IRIS Photo Box to organize them. The markers fit perfectly and can be organized by color in the small boxes!

 

 The same boxes can be used for embellishment storage!
 

  Katie worked on her Disney album at the crop. She's using the WRMK photo sleeves, which makes it easy to put together a big album project in no time at all. (See the link later in this post for pictures of the photo sleeves in action!)

 

 Diana and Katie shared a table at the crop. Rumor has it that at past crops, Diana has had a tendency to "spread" into Katie's area, so this time Katie placed a line of masking tape across the table and down the floor to mark off the space! :) But every time Katie left the work room that day, Diana moved the tape...and by the end of the day, Katie had just a tiny spot left! Gotta love these gals! :)

 

Maggie made the cutest birdhouse ever! Watch for a post coming soon about these adorable little creations!

  

  Tess created this beautiful page for her daughter. Love the bling along the edge of the photo!

Bonnie created some great snow pages!

 Diane worked on her beautiful Hawaii album. Click HERE to see more photos of it!

 

 Here's a photo of many of the gals who cropped that day -- Katie, Betsy, Tess, Michele (back to visit!), Bonnie, and Maggie. What a great group of ladies we have at Memory Bound!

 

  

Our work room is almost always available for cropping, except for days when a big class or event is scheduled. If you'd like to spend a day cropping at Memory Bound, give us a call ahead of time to be sure space is available. It's a great way to make progress on your projects...and it's FREE! 

 

Thanks to Diane for sharing photos of a very fun day!

Janet