Interested in this layered lace invitation suite?  Contact me for a quote!

Where:  The Landmark Center, Saint Paul.
When:  Sunday, February 24, 2013 from 1-4 pm.
Tickets are $5 and include a FREE companion ticket.
Visit makeitgrand.com/events  to purchase tickets!

See you there, my peeps!
-My

In the Choi household, there’s a rule that x-mas decorations are limited to just The Tree.  But you all know me better than that and you know I like to hoard collect chotchkies and then collect some more junk around it.  To combat that compulsion, I tried to concentrate all my x-mas stuff into the tree; lest I start setting up entire x-mas villages complete with a dodgy end ghetto alley and outlying suburbs that require their own municipal works and commuter trains.   One year, I put outdoor lawn ornaments in the living room and tried to pass it off for tree decoration.  ”No, no!  Don’t worry!  I’m editing!”  Right.

That tree became such a 8.5-foot bone of contention.  It had 20 strings of lights (pre-lit? Not bright enough, it needs MORE) linked together on 8 extension cords plugged into a surge protector.  It had rotating annual themes.  It required a 2nd story ladder to light and trim it.  It took 2-3 weeks to assemble after work every night.  The sheer weight of the ornaments alone exceeded 200lbs.   I’d spend the rest of the year adjusting those ornaments, rearranging them, trying to get everything to hang between the branches without sticking out a odd angles.  One-tree?  Who was I kidding?  It was becoming increasingly more stressful to accomplish.  We don’t even have kids or pets (imagine if!).  I knew something had to change.

And then one random July day, I saw this tree in a showroom.  It was hanging upside down in the corner like a chandelier.  It was only half the size of a normal standing tree and it was fully trimmed and pre-lit.   What?  An upside-down hanging tree?  You stand under it?   You can decorate it with hanging ornaments and garland like a regular tree?  I went straight home and popped on it.

Now look at us.   Vintage brass and mercury glass!   We even put a bird on it.

{Check out my upside down self}

It improved our life in so many ways….
- It takes 30 seconds to assemble:  take it out of the bag and hook it into the ceiling.
- Gravity does all your arranging!  All the ornaments look SO GOOD when they’re able to hang straight down and away from branches.
- It’s self-editing.  There’s a weight limit, so we’re forced to pare down and pick items with impact to achieve the look we want without exceeding the weight limits of the hanging hardware.

Standing under it, I get such a sense of wonder and delight.  It makes me feel especially short(er) and like a kid again.  When we first starting nesting our home, I took our one-tree rule to heart but stood it on it’s head, perversely.  Now we have a tree that’s been placed on its head and it feels so right.  So much more awesome sauce.  I don’t think we’ll ever go back to a standing one (unless we go fresh… even then, we might rig it for hanging).

{It’s bald at the top; my short arms got lazy.}

To camouflage the electrical cord, we fed it straight out the top of the tree, up the hanging chain then down a wall to an outlet.  This keeps the area under the tree completely clear.

{CHOI:  In case it forgets who it belongs to}

Tips to hanging your own tree:
- We used an eyelet hook that was rated to carry at least 275lb.  It probably only needs to handle 75lb.  When possible, drill directly into a ceiling joist to secure your tree.
- Use heavy duty chain to drop the tree to your desired height.  We have ours hanging with the tree tip about 6 feet from the ground (I like being able to reach of the tree still).  Wrap ribbon around and through the chain to hide it.
- Missing a place to put your presents?  We staged a round pedestal table underneath it with a tree skirt and piled our gifts on top.
- Hang to scale: put larger ornaments at the top with smaller ones at the bottom to help keep the tapered shape of the tree.
- Accessorize your accessories for impact.  We wrapped a branchy garland all around with faceted bead drops to refract more light and stuck feathers and picks in it, to add more interest.

Here are some more out-of-focus/blurry pics for your enjoyment:

Know of any other awesome sauce ways to update your family traditions?   Share!

- Peace, My

We kept it funny with: “Thanks for helping me plow through my cake!”

{purchase them in the shop}

Tune in later for the  photographs of these actual items!

{It’s a storyboard; PTI style.  Contact us to learn how we can draw one for YOUR special occasion!}

Coined, The Birthday Celebration Package, you’ll have your child’s birthday invitation or announcement styled from start to finish!  You will work with Brooke Rindahl of Brooke Ringdahl Photography to style your child’s birthday shoot (for any age).   Then you’ll work with My of PaperThick Ink to create your own Custom Photo Card Invitation or Announcement.

This full-service package is priced at $350 and includes: 1) pre-shoot consultation with Brooke to dreamstorm and plan your child’s theme, outfits and age-related props.  2)  Professional Photo Shoot in-studio or on-location.  3) Digital negatives on CD. 4) 25 fully customized designer photo birthday cards printed on premium stock with envelopes (additional card quantities available).

What does the Birthday Celebration Package look like?  Check out Lily’s List below!   For her birthday party invitation, her mom decided to create a real-time list of the loves in Lily’s life as a 3-year old on the cusp of turning 4.  An aspiring diva, Lily selected her own bob haircut, feather shoulder duster earrings, hello kitty tee, and pink hightop kicks.  Brooke included 4 balloons to mark her current age.  This list, named after Lily’s Likes and Loves can be customized to YOUR CHILD’s age-specific likes and loves.  The colored banners and pennants can be customized to include, name / date / party.  Contact Brooke or My today to schedule your child’s Birthday Celebration Package!

{Storyboard Version 1.0}

{Real Life Version x.0)

{Artwork Photo by: tarooke photography)

{photo of a photo card}

{Artwork Photo by: tarooke photography}

Brought to you by: My&Me, LLC.  Contact either of us to see how we can make your day a banner occasion!

-My

]]> http://www.paperthickink.com/blog/new-item-launch-birthday-celebration-package/feed/ 0 http://www.paperthickink.com/blog/sarah-michael-made-it-grand/ http://www.paperthickink.com/blog/sarah-michael-made-it-grand/#comments Thu, 10 May 2012 16:38:53 +0000 My http://www.paperthickink.com/blog/?p=1047 Sarah & Michael were such a pleasure to work with; gracious, sweet, elegant and unique; this is how I would describe their wedding invitation suite and this is how I would describe them down to their last wedding program-crossword puzzle clue!

One of the best parts of having a photographer friend as a studio mate?  Having a photographer who volunteers to capture our handiwork on the morning of the wedding.  Thanks to Brooke Ringdahl of tarookephotography, these were taken on-location and in the windows and space of Sarah and Michael’s historic, English Renaissance venue in downtown Saint Paul, The University Club.  Enjoy the images!

{Save The Date}

Their colors were Eggplant and Chanteuse.   We incorporated a deep purple swash and a casual-but-elegant calligraphic typeset into the invitation.  As a nice surprise and pop of color, we lined the mailers with a deep eggplant envelope liner.

{Eggplant & Elegant}

{Program This: Six down and Across}

{May I escort you to your table?}

This lovely Minnesota couple concluded their wedding suite with PTI on April 21st.  Click here to read their story about how they found each other and found PaperThick Ink too!

All images are created and copyright of Brooke Ringdahl of ta’rooke photography.

I never underestimate the provocativeness and inventiveness of a soon-to-be missus. She is inspired, drawn to beauty, enthusiastic and stylish.

We all derive so much of our inspiration from online blogs, ‘zines, articles, family and friends. It’s time to put those ideas to use!

Join us for MIG’s DIY Clinic!

 Join the wedding pros of Make it Grand! as they share some easy do-it-yourself ideas for your wedding.

There is no charge for this great event!

We will be meeting in The Garden of River Ridge adjacent to Studio B Floral Designs at 190 S River Ridge Circle, Burnsville, MN 55337.

RSVP on facebook or to Tami@makeitgrand.com or call Tami at 612.788.7575 and let her know