Moving on to a more sour note…

Just when you thought you had picked the perfect jewel-embellished corset/tutu-inspired wedding dress to match your black satin/hot pink colour scheme, April Winchell from the hilarious and often R-rated site Regretsy will be stepping in to shed light on those awful wedding faux pas, and in no doubt a hilariously manner as usual. April’s comments are considered by some to be cruel, but when you view the items up for scrutiny, you’ll have to agree that the harshness is completely called for. Do these crafters and artists really think people will buy this sh*t? Oh wait – that’s right! People actually DO! (but not because they are of great technical and aesthetic quality, but because they are unbelievable pieces of sh*t and are now appealing just for this reason). April posted recently on Regretsy about her involvement with the wedding industry:

Starting next month (or as soon as I finish the book), I will be writing a column for Brides.com. Basically, I’ll be snarking on wedding trends and bad bridal fashion.

There really is a world of sh*t out there that people try to pawn off on women who are already way out of control emotionally, and totally overcome with unrealistic expectations. It’s kind of like what a funeral home does to you when you come in to bury someone, and everything seems like a justifiable expense. You only die once!

Isn’t this fantastic? A whole new world to make fun of. I can hardly wait to ruin your wedding!

Are you excited? I sure am! If you can’t hold out for April’s column, check out the following links in the meantime. I know I wasted countless hours just scrolling and laughing, and then suffering from gut ache, but it was totally worth it! Use these as a guide of what NOT to do at your wedding, and you’ll be fine: TackyWeddings.com and Esquire’s guide of inappropriate wedding attire. Just a hint: if your dress lives by the same rules as a mullet (“business in the front, party in the back”) or you in anyway resemble Christina Aguilera in the Lady Marmalade video, this is not acceptable.

{images from TackyWeddings.com}

This should probably go under Happy Notes, but since there are so many amazing installations, I felt this deserved a post of its own! As a project that initially started in the States, You Are Beautiful is now a worldwide project spreading one simple message.

For a few years now, this message has been circulated in cities around the globe in the form of stickers, stencils, installations and signs. You too can participate by creatively putting the message “You are Beautiful” in your everyday environment to put a smile on someone’s face. Perhaps tell a bride she is beautiful on her big day? ;) You can also send a self-address stamped envelope and received 5 free stickers :) I haven’t yet, but hopefully I will begin to spot this message popping up in Toronto!

{images from You Are Beautiful}

I love the Internet and the sorts of surprises you can find. I stumbled upon these lovely illustrations by Amy Martino of Yellow Bird Machine today. Her illustrations are visually stimulating and have a variety of styles – all of them very intricate and with depth.

While the holidays were a nice break, I’m so glad all my favourite blogs are back so I can get my daily doses of inspiration again!

{images from Yellow Bird Machine}

I’m not going to hide it… I’m a huge nerd. I love video games, especially the old school ones I grew up playing with my little brother on our Commodore 64, original Nintendo, and Sega Genesis. In fact, my boyfriend is playing Street Fighter next to me right now (p.s. Happy Birthday to him!). Well, I found another set of pixelated wedding invitations inspired by retro video games that I had to share. It just shows that you don’t have to be traditional when planning your wedding just because the general population does so. Do something that suits you and your fiance. It will make for a more memorable and genuine event.

My favourite part is the “Insert Coin?” phrase asking people to RSVP for the event. Very cool.

{images from SlashGamer.com}

I am fascinated by fairytales and the dark themes embedded within them. I guess you could say I have a twisted side to me that not everyone sees on a day-to-day basis. And that is why these eerily beautiful paper dolls and artwork by Amy Earles really got me excited. This set on the left below was actually a commissioned anniversary gift. How clever and unique! I love personal gifts that reflect the receiver or the relationship you have with them. I think a paper doll set makes a special wedding or anniversary gift.

Her illustrations are amazing too! You can check them out at her Flickr stream or at her blog.

{images from Amy Earles on Flickr}

I’m admiring these nature-inspired pattern artworks by Anika Mari, who I stumbled upon on Flickr. The colours and line work are just beautiful! You can visit her personal blog here to view more.

{images from Anika Mari on Flickr}

We’ve seldomly featured stationary on this blog, but I had to share this set as I have been waiting to see them for a long time! As I mentioned before, I am subscribed to the blogs, designworklife and Head vs. Heart, written by Courtney Dolloff. Head vs. Heart was definitely one of the inspirations to start doing wedding designs myself, so I just had to feature this stationary set.

I love the typography and calligraphy here, especially the cute little calligraphic seals by K is for Calligraphy (I was going to purchase the holiday seals for myself earlier!). The bright liners inside the navy envelopes have a great contrast, and the pockets that look like they are made of tracing paper are really cute. Can’t wait to see the invites!

{images from Head vs. Heart}

A brilliant invitation designed to reflect the formal dress code for the celebration of Acne Paper’s 5th issue. Simple die-cut card, folded and embellished with spot UV and copper coloured ink.

{photos by Daniel Carlston, found via It’s Nice That}

I love food, in its physical form and in illustration and photography. These illustrations for Gourmet Magazine, are whimsical and delicate…just the way I like it! The self-taught illustrator behind these playful drawings is Ana Carucci, who comes from Argentina.

Aren’t these the best? I love the splashes of fun :) perfect for a summer party!

{images by Bam Bam Ink, found via designworklife}

This is the cutest set of polaroids I have seen in a while. Each group of 9 polaroids, give a warm and fuzzy feeling while telling a love story.

The compositions capture the details and intimacy between a couple. A perfect snapshot of the moment :)

{photos by Juan Filipe Rubio on Flickr, found via designworklife}