10 THINGS WITH ELEPHANTSHOE PAPERIE

It is no secret, I have a total and utter obsession with stationery, in fact, when I met the Bird he told me that his mom owned a stationery and Scrapbooking shop, I'm not going to lie - that little nugget was pretty much what sealed the deal for me! Another thing I am a little obsessed with is wedding design, I spend a lot of company time stalking happy brides on every and any wedding site the web has to offer. My lovely friend Sam has kindly taken my two obsessions and married them, creating an utterly gorgeous bespoke wedding stationery design company that will make you want to renew your vows annually. Elephantshoe PAPERIE also offers a range of other wedding services from insane treat tables to styling the works. I hope you enjoy Sams little interview and enjoy her stunning piccies. Go and perve her website here.

1. Describe yourself in 10 words
Perfectionist with a sweet tooth and love for pretty things.

2. If you were an elephant, exactly what kind of shoe would you wear?
Oh gosh, I would definitely have a closet full of them but I guess as an elephant a pair of Country Road  thigh high boots would be my pick to cover up my wrinkly knees.

Take a look at this cute pic that Blackframe photography sent me of some Elephant fashion.

via Jodilee Sandler

3. What is your favorite project elephant shoe has been involved in so far?
To date, our project in collaboration with Blackframe photography titled, a Royal Affair has been my favorite. It involved the key aspects that I love, designing and styling and I really enjoyed working with the talented Andre and Maritsa. It all just came together plus it was featured on the pretty blog. We had so much feedback on our blogs and loads of people downloaded the free DIY stationery goodies to host their own tea parties to celebrate the wedding of Kate Middleton to Prince William.

4.  What are the current trends in the wedding stationery business?
The use of bold and alluring typography alongside playful and fun designs that reflect the story of the couple to be wed. There is also a shift towards anything that is vintage with a touch of country providing it is combined together to still feel modern and relevant.

5. When you were a kid, what did your dream wedding look like?
Strangely, I never really thought about my wedding as a child, I always dreamt about who the man would be that I would marry. My best friend Amy and I used to talk for hours about who our future husbands may be.

6. What are your top 5 places to visit when you need a good drenching of inspiration?
1.I love to look through old magazines, a splash of colour, a bold word or anything I find in there can give me inspiration.
2. The world of blogs.
3. Folders upon folders on my macbook where I have kept images I love over the years.
4. Bookshops, (that way I get to grab a café latte to aid in the inspiration process).
5. www.pinterest.com

7. Whats the mushiest thing you have ever done in the name of love.
Last year before James and I were married, I went on a ski trip to Austria for two weeks. I left James with 2 boxes of 14 envelopes, each containing a love note for every day that I was away. Some of the envelopes had little treats in them, like chocolate, sweeties and even some money for James to grab a coffee on a lonely day.

8. The top 5 items on my wish list are:
1. an old but working letterpress machine (they are few and far between & difficult to find in South Africa).
2. an antique, wooden map drawer to keep all of my paper safe and happy.
3. a grey coat from Trenery.
4. a set of Pantone mugs
5. a grey, long v-neck jersey from Country Road

9. 10 words of advice you can give to someone on their wedding day....
Kick off your shoes, celebrate with your husband and guests.

10. What is your current favorite colour combination
I am in love with grey, all shades of it - gunmetal & charcoal grey, dove grey, putty grey, slate grey. You name it, I like it. I find it is classy, understated and down to earth. I recently said to my husband that he is lucky I haven't painted him grey yet. Even my cats is grey, her name is Mushroom.

WIN WITH KIM GRAY

Kim Gray has to be one of my favorite local blogs. She always has something interesting to say and her blog is filled with so much beautiful stuff you can get lost in there for days. Just when I thought it couldn't get any better she posted this competition:

THE PRIZE:

 I love these knot rings I recently pined over one in the last Martha Steweart Wedding Mag, a white gold one covered in a fine veil of diamonds- too beautiful!

* R6000 towards a designer Rosenwerth wedding gown or couture garment

*Clarins Facial, Clarins Make-Over (Make-up) and Clarins products to the value of R2000 courtesy of Clarins and Uitsig Spa. The winner will go for a   skin analysis, Clarins Facial and make over. The recommended products worth R2000.00 will then be ordered for the winner.

* Sterling Silver Blue Topaz Ring, Sterling Silver Amethyst Ring, Sterling Silver Gilded Knot Ring and a sterling silver heart pendant and chain from Free Range Jewels.

* Any Tiffany & Co  Sunglasses to the value of R2500 from Sunglass Hut

* A Lindt Hamper to the value of  R1000

* 1 x Flesh coloured Elle Macpherson Initmates bottom

* 12 Bottles of Simonsig Kaapse Vonkel Brut Rose

* 1 x pair of designer J. Maskrey Melissa Shoes valued at R3750 (Style and colour subject to availability)

This has to be the raddest prize list in the blogsphere. And the best part is that you don't have to be a bride to be to enter! All you have to do is head over to her blog here and tell her how you would incorporate these prizes into your special day, be it a party or - how romantic - as a surprise proposal to your woman:) Can you imagine your man dressing you up in Rosenwerth, showering you in Champers, chocolate and Clarins covering your eyes with Tiffany and Co sunnies putting you in chrystal Melissas slippers al la Cinderella and proposing to you with Free Range Jewels. Its too much to process- I'm sending this to the bird:)

Me and E

 As the unofficial wedding planner to the stars  engaged one I was naturally to much of a control freak to let anyone but me do the wedding stationery. Its my big sisters big day and I want it to be perfect so I spent ages bent over every Martha Stewart wedding mag studying all kinds of papers and fonts and doo dah's trying to come up with something spectacular yet not too narfy, intricate but also simple, maybe in navy but also maybe in gold or chocolate brown? you get the drill. I wish I knew then what I know now.

Me & E is a little boutique design house run by Eloise Timmis and Elizabeth Duff and let me tell you, they are the bees knees. Their design is simple and beautiful and when the bird finally caves, I am not going to mess around with all this control freak bull-dangle, these chicks clearly have this whole wedding design thing down. 

HEARTS ALL AFLUTTER

So the engaged one is going to become a housewife on the 12 of Feb 2011- eeek, I'm so excited for the Wedding you would swear It was me walking down the isle (a girl can dream:) As the grand day scuttles foreword I have been thinking about wedding gifts.
I know that people give a registery for a reason but seriously how often do you find something as gorgeous as this in amongst the glass kettles and penguin shaped waffle makers (you laugh I actually bought one of these for a friend once). What are the rules about these things? Once a registery has been stated is that it, are you doomed to gift your sister with a chopping board made of wine barrels?? 

 

I have decided to throw caution to the wind and over step the mark here. I am going to gift outside of the lines. Don't you think these cut outs by Sarah and Bendrix would make such a beautiful gift. There are so many weddings in a year and I so often hear mates bleating about being broke from wedding season. Have a close look at these little gems because with a little imagination, cardboard and a blade you can make something really awesome and because it is hand made it will feel like a very special gift.