Etsy Shop!

I've just launched my very own Etsy shop!   Click here to visit!  It's named after my blog - Creative Space Designs.

I've been thinking about opening up a little shop like this for a while now, and I've had a bunch of designs saved since March, but I just haven't taken the plunge.  Now that I'm getting settled at home and into married life, I'm excited to start a little hobby on the side. Who knows where it will go!  Here's the details:


What I'm selling: Printable cards!  I designed some simple, blank cards (quarter page) for any occasion. 


How it works:  You buy the design, I email the digital PDF file.  You print as many times as you want!  


Why it's great:  It's simple and convenient to print the card in your own home, or send off to Staples (or any local copy shop).  Plus, it's just $3.00 for a 2-card design, or $6.00 for a 4 card design - super cheap!  Basically the cheapest way to get cute stationery :)
I've purchased some cards from other shops, and I love that I can print them whenever I want, or whenever I'm in a pinch and need to write a quick note.  Plus I can print it as many times as I want (unlike store bought cards).  The best part - the note inside is totally personal!  The designs are simple, classic and come in a variety of colours - check it out!


(Note: For personal use only please - no sharing or resale. If you're friends ask where you got the card - send them to my shop!)


I'd love your feedback!  Any cards/messages you wish you could find but haven't seen yet? I'd love your ideas, oh creative friends :)

Making the Dress: The Finale!

Hello there!  

It's me again.  And as promised, I'm wrapping up my little series about my adventures in making my own wedding dress.  First of all, it worked out!  I'd be crazy to say I wasn't a tad worried that it would be a total flop and I'd be rushing to a bridal salon at the last minute to find something to wear.  Thanks to starting early, lots of design editing, and many late nights by my Aunt Donna (she's a superhero), my dress was aisle-ready!  Not only that, I LOVED it.  Truly.  It was worth all of the long hours and major minor setbacks.  


About those setbacks.  I already told you about almost running out of fabric, and about the lining issue (see Part 3), but that was nothing compared to the zipper malfunction the week before I was supposed to wear it.  We had a lovely invisible zipper in the side of the dress, lined up perfectly.  But of course, when I tried it on, the zipper refused to zip past the big seam at the waist.  We tried multiple tactics to get it up, but nothing worked.  We knew that even if it eventually worked, the last thing we wanted was for me to be stuck safety pinning my dress on my wedding day because it malfunctioned again.  Aunt Donna didn't want to switch to a different zipper (because the invisible one looked so perfect with the ruched style of the dress), but I said I would rather have a construction zipper in it, than be stuck fussing with it on my wedding day.  Soooo, my Aunt Donna saved the day by getting a new (sturdier) zipper, which still looked great and eliminated a potential disaster of epic proportions.  (We're the only ones who know what it looked like before anyway!)


So here you go, the final photos and the day of the big reveal!  HUGE thanks to Jamie (Jamie Delaine Photography) for capturing the dress and the day perfectly.  


Putting the pieces together:

Slight sweetheart neckline in the making (sideways!):

Hand-gathering the top layer of the skirt (the dress was 4 layers in total - 2 sheer, 2 cotton lining):

Can you count the pins?:

Can't wait to see it done (ps thanks for the shirt Jamie)!

This is what I mean by editing the design (please excuse the brown tank top): 

Straps try #1 - not a fan of the shape it's creating.

 Try #2: better, not great - too wide.

 Try #3: Very close!  Slimmer and more gathered to match the rest of the dress.

And now - the finished product!  Complete with a rhinestone belt from Tessa Kim on Etsy - just to give it that extra something - and my sparkly Toms.  For more photos of the day, visit Jamie Delaine's blog.

Getting ready to put it on:

Backyard shots:

How the back turned out in the end:

So there you have it, my dress-making adventure!  Even though most of the stitching and cutting and ruching was by me, I can't give enough credit to my Aunt Donna (can you tell?) for her guidance, patience, commitment to my dreams, and long hours of hard work.  This was an impossible task without her.  And she did much more than just help with the dress - but you'll have to wait until my next post to see where else she worked her magic :)  Next up, my favourite wedding-day details!

It's all in the details.

Well friends, it's been a while...sorry 'bout that.  But with less than 2 months to the big day, what do you expect?  I have a million blog worthy things to share - and I want to share them - but my desire to keep some surprises stops me from posting every last detail.  Having said that, I have a couple photos for you!  I apologize for the TERRIBLE quality - they're taken with an iphone 3 with a dead backlight (long story), but I think you get the idea.  


The first is of 2 identical pieces of luggage that Kaitlin (see her blog here) found for $4 each at the VV - love them!  She's a thrifter extraordinaire.  You can't tell, but they are the perfect shade of blue to match our wedding colours + they have the cutest pattern inside.  I'm using these for people to put cards in at our reception.  One of my favourite details - so glad Kaitlin found these!

My absolute favourite detail involves this ladder I found at an antique store in St. Jacob's...I set it up in our master bedroom (ie. wedding central!) just because it inspires me.  

Still on the lookout for old rain/wine barrels, if anyone has any leads...!

signs of spring

Well, well, well, look what I found in my front flower bed soaking up the sun yesterday...  this makes me very, very happy.  I'm pretty sure the last photo will be tulips soon - am I right?

Making the Dress: Part 3

Well, friends, it's in one piece!  Still not a finished product - but closer than ever.  Just some hemming and fitting, and it will be aisle-ready!  I love it.  Of course, now that it's together, these Making the Dress segments will be on hold for a while (97 days til the big one!)  Until then, here's a few recents.

This first one represents the whole process - one big journey in problem solving.  We laid out the fabric, took the first cut for the skirt, and then my wise Aunt suggested we measure the rest before making any more cuts.  We did, and had JUST enough for what we needed...that is, until I realized, "we only measured for the skirt!  What about the bodice??"  Uh oh.  So this is a picture of the back of the bodice pattern, which needs to fit on that piece of fabric.  I said I felt like Jesus with the 5 loaves and 2 fish - making a miracle happen.  

But of course, we made it work.  Here it is in pieces!  Aunt Donna told me that this is the part she never lets the bride see.  Oh well, I was happy!  Even though we had put in around 18 hours before even turning on the sewing machine...

No, I didn't hand-stitch my dress.  But I feel like I did with all that basting.  Many parts I actually cut and basted twice, because my Aunt had a nightmare about the lining we had been using (literally) and decided it was all wrong, so she decided to get a different kind and start again.  She was totally right - what we have now is much better, so I was willing to baste the night away.  

Finally, the machine is running!  Here I am putting the first 2 pieces together.

Yay!  Now, it's hanging up for a while, so that the bias of the skirt stretches out - I had no idea that was an important step - glad I'm not doing this alone! (thanks Aunt Donna!)

Spring colours.

Well, it snowed again yesterday.  In light of that, I'm extra anxious to see spring come in full force, with pretty flowers and summery clothes.  Speaking of which, here are some J.Crew (of course) looks that I love for summer.  And some adorable clutches from Ila handbags.  Then, I threw in a bathing suit from J.Crew - love the ruched look, deciding on a colour would be hard...Enjoy the spring colours!

 Ila Handbags and J Crew

love this quote.

inspiration board.

Here's my little inspiration board for our wedding!  I used a few paint chips, and some fabric and paper samples that I received.  I can't say I made the board before we started planning and designing - but I really wanted to make one nonetheless.  Makes me feel more designer-ish.  Here it is sitting on top of my 50 lb. roll of burlap - crazy!

Also, they're here!  Remember how I said I wanted these sparkly Toms for my wedding shoes?  I got them!  And I absolutely love them.

white kitchens.

I've always loved the look of white kitchen cabinets.  Right now I have wood (maybe oak?) ones, and I'm looking forward to painting them when I have time to focus on updating my house.  Here's some of my latest inspiration from Style at Home.

Making the Dress: Part 2

Next up, pattern making!  Now that we have the design and the perfect fabric (it seriously thrills me!), it's time to create the pieces to be sewn together.  My Aunt Donna pinned some scrap fabric around me to determine fit and shape.  Then we laid the fabric out onto  a roll of paper.  Because the bodice involves some gathering, we cut the pattern into thin strips and then spaced them out on the paper.  This is so we have the proper proportions, but also enough fabric once it's condensed (gathered) - so smart!  Warning: this step took a few hours - if you plan on making your own dress, be prepared to put in 10+ hours before you even plug in the sewing machine!  And always, always, always measure twice and cut once (if I had a nickel for every time I've heard that!)  

Stay tuned for part 3!

santorini.

Flights are booked!  Honeymooning in Greece in July!


photo: Fira

nutella brownie bites.

You know those delicious two-bite brownies?  These are made with Nutella!  I made a few for a Valentine's Day treat - they were delicious!  To be honest, I didn't feel like buying a whole thing of chocolate syrup just for a few tablespoons, so I left it out.  I also don't yet have a mini muffin tin, so I used the big one and they turned out totally fine.


I got the recipe from onehungrymama.com  She also has a recipe for nutella hot chocolate!