Who inspires you? :: A week of inspiration

I recently received the sweetest email from Sierra of Romeo Envy on Etsy. She just opened up her new Etsy shop, which sells lovely jewelry at very affordable prices. I hope she doesn't mind me mentioning, but she had been following the twigs & honey blog this past year and was inspired to start her own shop! I've received some of the nicest emails and convos from many brides and aspiring entrepreneurs. Thank you to everyone and keep them coming. It really makes my day to read all your heartwarming stories! I think that with the state of the economy today, it is really great that people are turning toward crafting, the arts, and hobbies! It's even greater to hear that people are supplementing their income through crafting/creating/designing or taking the plunge and becoming their own boss/home business. Doing what you love and being able to make a living or extra income on the side can be very empowering. Also, supporting crafters, artists, and designers is wonderful and gratifying in its own right!! I love finding those one of a kind pieces, made by the hands of some talented individual near or far and not too different from myself or my complete opposite.... awesome! Doesn't it feel great to create and to support those who create?? I'm not going to make this blog my political soapbox, but I do want to say that I think small businesses are such an important part of the greater picture. I love seeing all sorts of talented people succeed against current projections and trends. Every little bit can truly make a difference. What goes around comes around. Have you hugged a crafter, etsian, artist, designer today?

So I thought of doing a slightly different week of blog posts next week. Sierra's email got me to thinking. There were many individuals who inspired me to both start twigs & honey and make the career shift from employee to self-employed. I thought it was about time I share with everyone else who those fabulous people were! I'll do a post a day about an aspect of the twigs & honey business and the individual that provided me with the inspiration and push. Check back all next week!

Happy Weekend! Old photo of an Ann Wood Handmade bird. Longing for warmer days...

Snap! Girls TV "The Pilot Episode"

Our friend Dave Bettencourt told us about a sweet little video camera called the Flip Video. I purchased one the next day... and set about my evil plan for torturing Trish and Melissa, and hey, while I'm at it... all the other vendors at weddings too. Why not? I know you guys love seeing the behind the scenes photos... so now you can see us in live action too. I shot this movie at Karalyn and Erik's wedding. Plan on seeing a lot more of these.

Lights, Camera.... Action!

Karalyn and Erik at Belle Mer Part 3 - The Party!

It feels like we have had a whole day of fun already (because we have!) but we've got an entire evening of good times ahead... Karalyn and Erik wanted to get a peek at the ballroom before anyone else, so we snuck in first for the big reveal!

Beautiful!

Here's Belle Mer's Stuart... he's making sure Karalyn is a happy camper. She definitely is!

Karalyn strikes a pose with Pam of PDR Events... the lady behind the scenes.






How would you describe this arrangement? Sparkles, Crystals, Wintery sticks, Giant white flower poms... Semia has outdone herself here.









Melissa was photographing the details... but here's Trish muscling in for the shot.









Love the feathers.

I wanted to keep this big sparkly M for myself. Karalyn might have noticed it missing from the top of the cake though. I think Trish and I have got all the angles on the cake covered here.

As if her day wasn't perfect enough... Karalyn also gets a killer sunset. We ran outside for some quick sunset shots.

...and then of course the Blue Light...

Ta Da!

These folders are for the photolounge pics... Melissa is feverishly printing them out and setting them out for the guests to pick up.

The band was excellent... Beantown Band. If you are looking for a band- make sure to check these guys out.

Erik gives Karalyn a little spin around the dance floor...

Whew! The evening is flawless- thanks to Pam's team and the stellar staff at Belle Mer.

Sweets...

That's Erik in the middle of the dance floor- who knew he had such awesome moves! I've never seen anyone dance so skillfully to Billie Jean before (except maybe Michael himself).

A little "Living on a Prayer"... and Karalyn playing the guitar.

The End!

K & E, Thank you, thank you, thank you for making us a part of such a fun day! Can't wait until you get back from Hawaii so we can talk about it all! Hope you love the photos so far, there's a lot more where that came from!

Friends and Family of Karalyn and Erik, if you want to receive an email when all of their photos are ready to view on Pictage, click here, and register.

Beautiful! :: Amy & Sean's wedding photos :: Paul Rich Studio

I'm up late as usual and while visiting Paul Rich Studio's blog, I was so excited to see some of Amy & Sean's wedding photos! They turned out beautifully! I wasn't expecting them up so soon, so it was a great surprise. I think the rest will be up after all the post production work is complete, but some of their favorites are up and you'll have to check out there blog to see the rest and to see all the other lovely pictures from these talented photographers! Here are a few that are just too lovely for words:

I love this photo. My mom looks so cute. It's very creative photography too. My mom and I were actually standing behind my sister in the bathroom, and the photo is showing our reflection in the bathroom door's mirror. At least I think that's what I'm seeing. My head hurts thinking about it. ;)

Photo credits: Paul Rich Studio

Major Etsy shop update!

I finally wrangled a bunch of pieces together and have completed an Etsy shop update. I listed 7 new pieces! Here are some of my favorites:

This piece is similar to the one worn by Holly. I received a ton of inquiries about it after her lovely wedding to Mario was posted on Snippet and Ink.

You must view more photos at the photographer's blog. Her dress was done by Elizabeth Dye!
Photo credits: Jonathan Canlas

Enjoy!

A little shop update later today!

I rarely get the chance to make pieces open to the public for my Etsy shop but over the last few weeks, I snuck in making a piece here and there and have a nice handful to post Wednesday afternoon/evening, possibly at night depending on my schedule. I also have a few boutique orders to deliver over the next couple weeks including a new location/boutique, which I'll announce when I get everything ready to go. Anyhow, check my Etsy shop later in the day Wednesday for some fresh new pieces (I'll blog about it too!). Here's one of the fun new pieces:

Perfect for a spring wedding - bride or guest - or for a romantic stroll through tall grass.

Karalyn and Erik at Belle Mer 2.21.09 Part 1 Photos by "The Whole Snap! Team"

The entire Snap! Team was "representin" for the great big sparkly wedding of Karalyn and Erik this past Saturday. It was so much fun to all go out together - snapping away! We don't usually get to do that- but get married in February and you might get lucky! I hadn't told Karalyn that she was getting the full snap-arazzi treatment, so when we got there she was pretty excited. Karalyn definitely had a vision for her day. I think Semia summed it up best when she described it as a "P Diddy" party in the Hamptons- needless to say there was a whole lot of bling up one side and down the other! The sparkliest thing about the wedding though was definitely Karalyn- she was shining and having the time of her life....

Here's the lovely Semia posing for a photo with Karalyn after she delivered the big bouquet!

I think Karalyn approves...

Bridesmaids bouquets... gorgeous!


Pamela from PDR Events was on hand to make sure everything was running smoothly- and it did!



Our friend Robin Mcaloon made sure everyone was looking their best.





While I was upstairs with the girls, Trish was snapping some photos of the boys. Karalyn and Erik were staying at the Hyatt- and I love this wall in the lobby.
Here's Erik striking some man poses.




Nice! How about those blue eyes? Wow!

Trish getting artsy with the ring shot- Love it!

How cute is this? Erik is the sweetest guy. I saw him hugging and kissing everyone all day- and telling everyone involved thank you. He is very thoughtful and considerate. I think Karalyn is a real lucky girl.

A little male bonding before going to the church.

Meanwhile.... here is our glamorous winter bride! Melissa snapped this one.

I love this photo of Karalyn, she looks so happy. How about that flawless makeup and dewy skin? Nice job Robin, of course it helps to have an adorable face to apply it to.

All the ladies... I like that you can't tell we are running a little late and we are about to dash out the door. Everyone is doing a good job of faking a relaxed mood!

Karalyn is all about the details. Everything was perfectly coordinated.

Karalyn and Erik with their families... the Manzelli's and the Mallozzi's. I get a kick out of all the M's, L's, and Z's! K and E really have the nicest parents. You can't tell from this photo but Karalyn's mom is one hot ticket! She had everyone cracking up all day.

That's Karalyn's sister and maid of honor Kim peeking out of the limo...

Karalyn arrives next... time to attach that 14 foot veil. Karalyn has a flair for the dramatic!

Another one of my favorite shots from the day (a Trish special). Mr. Mallozzi having a moment with his daughter before he walks her down the aisle.

St. Augustin's, Newport.

Love!

They did it!!!

So, stay tuned for Part 2 on Thursday... we brave the cold February wind at a couple of really fun spots in Newport. I was thinking I would blog the wedding in 2 parts, but now I realize there are just too many awesome photos, so it looks like Karalyn and Erik are going to need 3 posts. Karalyn, I know you are checking this in Hawaii- so it will just be that many more photos for you in between fruity drinks in coconut shells!