Jay ♥ Czacza: The Actual Setup

Vintage imagery + Typography + Heat transfer = His print

And as plans went, the winds leaned towards the tempestuous, especially when it applied to the reception preparations.  The fluctuations on the number of guests, tables, table configurations, etc. increased in the days leading to the big event, but Czacza was the picture of ease and grace.  Even as she dropped by the night before to see the centerpiece porcelain items and drop off the printouts of the wedding rules, she was composed (as she matter-of-factly told her groom that she couldn't deal with his shoe selection issues at the moment) despite relaying all of the last-minute concerns.

The Hers print.  :-)

I still don't have all of the photos of all of the handmade details (the "Just Married" heat transfer buntings, the fresh flower bouquets of the entourage), but let me share some items we were able document.

The boutonnieres looked like this!

The boutonnieres were made from canvas, hemp rope, dried misty blue flowers and pearl.  I had fun experimenting with the ombre effect.

Bouquet and a detail of the backdrop.

Instead of sticking to just blue, the entourage bouquets incorporated pink, so we added those hues to the centerpieces as well, with hydrangeas, berries and astrumeria.  The hydrangeas were more whitish than bluish, and since these aren't that easy to get (we had to reserve these about a month in advance), we had to make do.  The original plan for pink roses for the entourage had to be changed to pink and cream carnations and mums with berries (gosh, I have to get photos of those).

Detail and top view of the varied centerpieces.

We had varied centerpieces, incorporating the bottles with the decals, porcelain tea cups and bowls with floating candles, using vases and varied sizes of mason jars to hold the flowers, votives, and decorative ceramic balls.

Using embroidery hoops with heat transferred designs in the backdrop.

For the backdrop, we had a frame constructed, and incorporated printed designs hanging from embroidery hoops of various sizes, as well as doilies, lace, ribbon and string.

Embroidery hoops and doilies!

The beads from the original setup for the centerpieces were strung from the backdrop instead.

The floating candle waits to jump into the teacup.

We did the table numbers in embroidery hoops too.

Doilies and ribbon for the seats.

Enderun was a pretty venue.

All in all, we were pretty happy with how it turned out, and were glad to have been part of Jay and Czacza's special day.  And for a first handmade styling gig, we sure learned a lot.  This was a team effort, with Mom and Dad pitching in (making me go to bed at 5 AM), Lex being a sport in the sourcing of items, and Gemma and Nikki helping during the setup itself.

Here's to handmade details! ♥

PS: The awesome wedding coordinators were Jets and Rhona Battung of Canaan Celebrations.

First Styling Gig! Jay ♥ Czacza

So a while back, I posted on silkscreening doilies for a friend's wedding.  It was also for this same gig that I prepared this sample rustic bouquet of fabric roses.  Since the fabric bouquet seemed too minimalist for her, I tried my hand at arranging a fresh one.  And since the wedding happily took place last July, I can now post pictures of how everything turned out!  :-)

First off, the sample setup.  The bride specifically requested for hydrangeas, and thankfully Lex and I were able to source these.  I learned though that fresh flowers are really tricky.  Their availability depends on the weather, the farm's disposition, transportation, etc.  For the setup, I was able to get hydrangeas that had bluish/purplish flowers.

Hydrangeas are lovely, aren't they?  They're also very thirsty flowers.  I learned though that they can last for quite a long time even when cut, as long as they're in water.

Then I tried to think of how to add a touch of charm.  And the first thing I thought of were doilies!  So I got to work having a screen made, and made a few for the setup.  They ended up in varying shades of gray, so I had to note that when I went into producing all of the doilies needed for the reception, I'd need a big batch of a pre-mixed gray.

I also thought of using stickered bottles for the centerpieces.  The decals used had nice romantic words and graphics.  I hadn't quite seen these at a setup before (then again, I don't look around that much), but then I just liked the idea.  The bride agreed.  :-)

I used jute string to hang a sparse curtain of blue beads (for the blue element of her wedding motif), and put in these decorative ceramic balls.  The bride actually suggested these in her pegs.  I love the way candles can totally change how a simple setup looks, so I learned how to make floating candles, and got some ceramics and glassware.

The sample rustic bouquet, and the setup from top view.  The bride vetoed the dried tree-stuff on the table.

I also got some succulents, put them in odd, charming porcelain and added them to the table decor.

Setup details!

And voila!  I was pretty happy with how it turned out.  Little did I know what a challenge it would be, replicating this to a reception setting of more than 120 (the guest list grew--these things apparently happen in the process).

My next post will be how the actual wedding setup turned out.  :-)

How doilies are made: silkscreen

A shot from the setup.  See how the gray doilies underneath came to be below.

Yes, yes, we all know doilies are most commonly produced through crochet.  But for this particular styling setup (it's a bridal one), I figured to mass-produce them the silkscreened way.  :-)

First, I settled on a generic doily design, and tweaked it a bit.  I then went over to the good folks at Hocus Manila to have the design worked out on a screen.  Andrei and Sheina of Hocus are awesome--they put together custom bikes (you can also get spare bike parts), as well as produce silkscreens and serigraphs.  Lex and I are working with them in rolling out workshops, as well as bike-related merchandise.  Well, that's another story I'll share sometime else.

Just to give you an idea of why I decided to silkscreen the doilies--I met up with the bride-to-be at her reception venue, and she lamented the state the chairs were in--they were brown, and some were a bit worn.  They were the bulkier, padded chairs.  I then offered to drape the chairbacks with a bit of design (with a bit of a beaded tassel on the end), and in order to maximize this particular design, I figured to produce a modular, multipurpose piece, to use as a table-runner as well.

Well, hopping back into the process, I then proceeded to prepare the cloth to be silkscreened.  I went with katcha--a type of cheesecloth that's light and fine, but a mesh that is loose enough to be viewed as having a rustic appeal.

Putting my trusty sewing machine to work, I hemmed the edges.  The doily design is about 18 inches across, so I put in a small allowance for that.

So when those were done, I prepared the silkscreen area.  Taking the screen, I attached it to a swinging table (fashioned after the one Andrei and Sheina have) with C-clamps, and poked around the textile paint I was so generously given.

I had to mix the lighter shade of gray I wanted, which took a bit of time.  The paint was a bit thick too, and I didn't have the thinner prescribed.  But the setup was a few days away at the time, and I had to make do with what I had.

I lined the table with newspaper (which I had to struggle with later on, as the screened fabric stuck to it), took my mixed light gray, and went to work.  After priming the screen, I made a test one on paper.  When it seemed safe to proceed, I tried one, which had some inconsistencies.  The others had their bits of inconsistency as well, and I guess I'll have to find the textile paint thinner for when I mass produce these (for about 120 seats and 12 tables).  To spread the paint, I used a huge squeegee Hocus lent me (I'll give it back soon, guys!).  And after each doily was printed, I'd lay it to dry on the outdoor bar counter at home (which Creamy the cat promptly stepped all over, leaving light cat prints on the counter top).

Midway the short print run though, I ran out of mixed gray!  I hastily mixed another batch (as the screen was drying already) which ended up darker then the first, but better executed.  Lesson learned.

The doily print was fun to make, and I'm really excited to do the rest (also so that I can return Hocus' squeegee already).  I just need a better place to dry the prints.

Will post more on the preps for the said setup later on.  Things have been busy and brewing!  Lex and I have been fixing up the Craft MNL workshop space.  We had a special guest yesterday, and a crafty confluence of events will produce something wonderful in May.  Stay tuned for that.

'Til the next handmade adventure.  :-)