Offbeat Bride’s post on the spider in the wedding bouquet reminded me it’s been way too long since I’ve checked in on artist Ann Wood’s blog. I try to stay up-to-date on her creepy (and not so creepy) creations. These stunning pieces are made up of lovely scraps of vintage fabric and buttons…and I want them all.
Here’s a round-up of my favorite so far…
Black Bustled Spider
Chillingworth Owl
Strolling Spider
Botanical Experiments
I’m excited to share another local, vintage clothing Etsy shop that offers fun, gorgeous pieces from decades past. Fab Gabs Vintage offers a mix of casual and fancy dresses, suits and accessories. There’s even a special section for boudoir vintage lingerie! Whether you’re going for a Mad Men style, rockabilly or an “old Hollywood” wedding, there’s plenty of guys and dames fashions to be found here. The ’50s-era polka dot dress below would look amazing with one of these crinoline petticoats we featured last summer.
Wartime Bouquet
The Ultimate Lucy Dress
Paul Drake 1960s Sportcoat
… and there’s still a week left to enter Teh Fab Gabs Vintage Giveaway. Head over to the blog for details.
Lately, I’ve lacked the time and patience to shop in actual stores. While this may be great for my wallet, it also means I’m missing out on some fabulous finds at the awesome vintage stores here in Portland. Luckily, Twitter has led me to a few local vintage shops that sell their wares online. This means all of you who don’t live in the NW can take advantage of some of our fine shops.
We’ll be featuring a couple of them this week, so if you’re planning an art deco, 1920s/1930s, Victorian or other period-inspired wedding, be sure to check back.
The first of our new vintage clothing discoveries is Prance and Swagger, a relatively new Etsy shop based in Portland, Oregon. Prance and Swagger specializes in classic his and hers vintage clothing, offering everything from pill box hats to 1950s prom dresses to Victorian caplets and Oxford ankle boots.
I may have found them too late to grab this goregous Victorian scarf, but their shop is full of unique and interesting finds that just might make up for it.
… A
Victorian Ruffle Scarf
Vintage 1930s deco modern hat
Vintage peaked lapels double breasted 1940s suit jacket
Mon dieu! Like many, we’ve been fascinated by the myths and realities that surround Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna von Habsburg-Lothringen. As Marie Antoinette, she’s come to symbolize beauty, youth and extreme luxury. Allow us to introduce our first invitation design to salute her legend, Petit Trianon:
Not only does Petit Trianon reference the young Dauphine de France, it alludes to a perplexing and eerie incident in which time itself may have become momentarily and capriciously malleable. A bizarre incident matched only be the decadence of the court at Versailles…
Ever since October, I’ve been following the Tweed Ride phenomena. I mean, what’s not to like about a combination of Victorian gear and cycling that emphasizes fun and camaraderie? I’d noted that my former home of San Francisco had been a major force in American Tweed Rides. This, however, left me all the more disappointed that my current home — and de facto cycling utopia — of Portland was noticeably ignoring a phenomena that seemed like a perfect fit.
Well, we finally got our collective act together and produced a smashing Tweed Ride not two days ago.
Photo by william200549 on Flickr
There are many fine photos of the event on Flickr here and here. Oh, and some fine video footage, too (note the pipe-packing at 1:25):
Now, why are we at Royal Steamline posting about cycling? Because we were quite impressed with some of the riders’ ensembles, particularly the gents. Upcoming grooms leaning toward a vintage wedding would be well served to peruse these images and take note of any styles they find particularly fitting.
Finally, we’d be remiss if we didn’t point out the perfect connection between Tweed Rides and our Rovers and Country Ride invitation designs.
Looking forward to the next ride!
Announce your wedding with a dash of hullabaloo! Recalling the style of 19th century advertisements for the rare and spectacular, Broadside sets the stage for a lighthearted and irreverent affair.
As with all of our RS Element designs, Broadside comes on your choice of 120 lb Neenah duplex paper (featuring a black linen reverse) or a clean, 80 lb white paper on front and reverse. We’re offering this choice as a way of lowering prices without lowering quality. We’re mad about paper, so rest assured the 80 lb is going to look great!
Finally, please do keep in mind that all of the lines are customizable — keep, change or cut anything you want (within reason)!
Click here to see the full stationary set.
First off, a hearty “thank-you” to everyone who took advantage of our New Year’s Week sale! While that sale officially ended today, be on the lookout for more discounted designs in the future. You never know just what we’ll mark down next…
Next, we’d like to introduce a line of invitation designs that we’re calling RS Elements. Simply put, RS Element designs are offered on your choice of our favorite 120 lb Neenah duplex paper or a clean, 80 lb white paper on front and reverse. We’re offering this choice as a way of lowering prices without lowering quality. (We’re mad about paper, so rest assured the 80 lb is going to look great!) We know times are hard and we’re pleased to give you a choice that will stretch your wedding budget.
Our first design in the Elements line is Black Butterfly:
It’s the summer solstice counterpart to Luna Moth:
While Black Butterfly is only our first offering, we plan on steadily adding to the Elements line. We promise to keep you posted!
If you haven’t been already, head over to Offbeat Bride to get all the brass, glass and goggle details.
Love this ode to parfum photography collection – a twist on the traditional wedding memento by the fabulous Jessica Hill. For more (and larger) gorgeous photos, check out her “Best of 2009” collection.
We recently added to our paean to Mid-Century design, The Camelot Collection. First off, we replaced the font with one that we feel more accurately captures a New York Times bestseller circa 1961. Also, we’ve expanded the line to include four more designs, making eight in all:
Finally, we upgraded the paper on which these invitations will be printed (without increasing the price.) From now on, each Camelot Collection design will be printed on super thick, Neenah duplex paper that features a black linen reverse. Believe us when we say that these things are smoother than Don Draper’s shave.
We’re so happy with these new designs, that we’ve placed all Camelot Collection solos (invitations), duos (invitations + RSVPs), and trios (invitations + enclosures + RSVPs) on sale. We’ve temporarily knocked 10% off the base price for each set! You may not save enough to get yourself a Kagan sofa as a wedding present, but you’ll be able to pick up Canção do Amor Demais on vinyl and mix a couple of highballs to celebrate your new invitations!
