the art of the souvenir: royal wedding goodies

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:: beautiful royal wedding souvenirs ::

royal wedding print

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collage: commemorative mug silhouettes ::  

one-of-a-kind wedding collage :: 

silver bar ::  

papercut print ::

.......

customized invitation necklace 

hand cut card

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collage :: london mapcut ::

royal party parade tape ::

garland ::

art print ::

.......

processional map 

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so did you watch?

woowee we sure did!
we had 5am raisin scones. DIY decor by the fabulous designeditor. and all-age friendly peppermint tea in my mother's fancy china tea cup collection! little rikrak thought it splendid!

how delightful!

and over all the oohing and aahing we were all remarking on how fabulous it is that this wedding, surely the most watched wedding in a long time, is,  so FABULOUSLY handmade. i doubt there's been such a huge handmade wedding! i would guess all the various components: the gown, the dresses, the flowers, the decor,  the commissioned music, the brilliant food, the stationary, the various fabulous fusses: all no doubt, handmade!

well that's a glorious thing indeed!
yay handmade weddings. and keepsakes of such!

now... deep below acid-free tissue papers and protective coverings, packed carefully away in a storage box in the basement, lies my 1981 royal wedding scrapbook: filled to the brim with newspaper clippings, photographs and kitschy paper souvenirs of that *other* royal wedding many moons ago: diana & charles.

i'll admit it. i may not be much of a monarchist, or a souvenir-ist, but i love a fun fancy wedding. it's not the kind i'd like for myself, but it seems as though there's a little bit of *how-about-being-a-princess-for-a-day* in so many of us! would you agree?

so to commemorate THIS royal wedding, how about some fabulous handmade keepsakes from around the world. kitschy and oh-so-fun. 

happy celebrating!

did you do anything special to remember the day by? 

have a joyous weekend, nicies!

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the royal wedding challenge {part 2} : the REVEAL!

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Star of the East charms with...

romantic threads + EmiciBridal

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peaces of indigo delights with...

curiously alice + one garnet girl

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minoutte wows with...

 gurlygirl + reddoll

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such a sweet pairing by betsy & bess with...

angelsbridalboutique + the ritzyrose

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good heavens ... what gorgeous royal wedding bridal stylists you all are! won't kate be gorgeous in your outfits!?

thanks for playing the royal wedding challenge: part 2! i asked you to dress kate in something fabulously handmade or vintage and i LOVE what you came up with!

AND... don't forget to take a look at what all us gorgeous GUESTS will be wearing, too! {and a peek at my various costume changes for the big day, too!}¨

thanks again so much to everyone who played.
sorry i couldn't include everyone this time around. but you all look STUNNING!

so cue the royal parade!

and have a glamorous, megawatt-smile day, nicies, whether your strutting your stuff on the royal red carpet or dancing in your kitchen.

happy royal wedding tomorrow, lovelies!

will you be watching?

we sure will be! 

and check out other fun party outfit challenges here like:

 your royal wedding guest looks

your red carpet stylist looks

your oscar looks revealed: part 1
part 2

or your lovely springtime teaparty looks.

last summer's beach party looks

your winter gala looks

and remember your gorgeous film festival looks, too!

.................

 anghjula wows with...

atelierducorset
+ KNRINC


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moira wows with... 

pixel and Hank +  DLolaCouture
..............


 retro vintage wedding crafts a lovely look with...

retro vintage weddings + the same

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a little something blue with terri`s

 angelsbridalboutique + 


 wee gardens
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classic stylings by addie k. 

Lodichka + 

 Amy Jo Tatum Bridal


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sarah crafts an elegant touch with... 

 auburnlightcouture + 
nuritdesign
.................   

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come advertise with the rikrak studio blog!

 

i just love my sponsors! i'm so thankful for their kind and artistic support each month! and i'm just delighted with how things are going, growing here on the blog with you lovelies. thank you!

so i'm very happy to be offering a few new ad spots as of today for MAY.

with may comes  a great time to continue building your wonderful indie business!  i hope it might be the perfect opportunity to showcase your beautiful shops & blogs for all of those handmade shoppers & bloggers & media out there! it's  such a great time for fresh starts, and i'm offering a few new ad spots, all at GREAT prices!

if you feel that your shop, group, Etsy Team,  or blog would be a good fit with the rikrak studio blog feel & focus, and are interested in rates, please email me at 

---> rikrakmail @ yahoo.com <---

there's lots of continued fun coming up on the blog: funfun guests, little inspirations, more fabulous giveaways you're not going to want to miss, great games, fantastic features,  and, as always, a few extra fun surprises, too. being part of the fun is a great way to boost sales, increase exposure and build your little business in the handmade community, too!

i'm a handmaker & mommy and know it's a challenging economic time out there... so i try to keep the rates nice & reasonable.

i also love designing ads for folks that need them, too.
so just let me know if i can help!

so come & be part of the fun!
thanks so much, lovelies!
k.

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a beautiful giveaway with le papier studio!

i'll just start with my confession: i'm in love with the beautiful work of vana chupp: aka le papier studio. 

once you've glimpsed the crisp lines of delicate customized silhouettes; the personalized stationery, invites, calling cards and more in the freshest palette of colours and designs...

what's not to love? 

author and artist vana's work is elegant and gorgeous. she's a wonderwoman who has brought her creative dreams to life! {always inspiring!} i'm happy to say i've seen vana's beautiful designs everywhere, and now you can WIN a le papier studio goodie of your very own! lucky YOU!

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indeed... there are over $80 worth of prizes up for grabs! random.org will choose 

3 lucky rikrak studio readers: 

• one will win ONE silhouette journal (couple on vespa!); 
• another reader  will win ONE 2011 pillow calendar cover; 
• and the third will win ONE 2011 calendar plate! what beautiful keepsakes!

1. visit the le papier studio shop. tell us what your favourite silhouette item is!

=   1 entry

2. become a friend of le papier studio on facebook.

...  & tell us.

=   1 entry

 

3.  post about this giveaway on YOUR facebook page.

...  & tell us.

=   1 entry

4. heart/fave vana's lovely handmade shop on etsy.

...  & tell us

=   1 entry

5. follow BOTH le papier studio { she's @lepapierstudio } AND the rikrak shop (that's me! @therikrakshop )  on twitter

... & tell us.

= 1 entry

6. follow / subscribe to the lovely le papier studio blog. 

= 1 entry

7.  follow or burn the rss feed  to the rikrak studio blog

... & tell us.

= 1 entry

8. tweet on twitter

... about this giveaway and come back here and tell us! be sure to include @therikrakshop so i can find you! 

= 1 entry

9. blog about this giveaway

... come back and tell us.

= 1 entry

10. grab one of my rikrak studio buttons,
like this one from the left hand sidebar, for YOUR BLOG!

<center><a href="http://rikrakstudio.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img alt="the rikrak studio" src="http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/rikrakstudio/therikrakstudiorectangle.jpg" /></a></center>

<center><a href="http://rikrakstudio.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img alt="the rikrak studio" src="http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/rikrakstudio/therikrakstudiosquare.jpg" /></a></center>

and add it to your blog!

{ ... just copy & paste the text in the box above  onto your blog sidebar! thanks! }

11. :: PLEASE NOTE: 

each entry must be it's own comment.

thanks! ::

..........................................

:: RULES ::

 

a) it is possible to have a maximum of 10 entries total per person.
b) please make sure to leave each entry as its own comment. thanks!
c) using random.org, 1 winner of the le papier studio giveaway will be chosen on wednesday, may 4th @ 11pm EST.
d) open to contestants worldwide.
e) please be sure to leave me an email where i can reach you if your account doesn't link to one. thanks.

................................................

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happy congrats, a read, a challenge & a giveaway!

 

hope everyone's having a great long weekend wherever you live!

so nice having visiting time with family, yummy foods, a fabulous Easter Bonnet parade & delightfully too much chocolate!

just a couple of fun things:

1) congrats to the winner of the the beautiful elliven clutch giveaway! random.org drew lucky number #39 annie dee's! such a cute shop (love those fun crocheted eggs, as seen above!! how very timely!)

2) i reported it incorrectly last week... but now's your fun chance to read my latest etsy article! hope you'll come on over to the etsy blog and leave a message for helen & her gorgeous egg cup collection! (thanks in advance, nicies!) 

3) just a few more days to PLAY dress the bride in the latest handmade royal wedding challenge! i'll be featuring your gorgeous looks this week! yay!

and 4) don't forget to enter the april *i love my sponsors* giveaway, too!

yay!

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up close & personal: art

via vatican.va   via avril loreti

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while we're all dunking & dying our beautiful Easter Egg masterpieces this weekend, this time of year always gets me excited about detailed art. i've come across a couple of brilliant websites that both little rikrak and i love for online viewing of some of the world's most famous artworks!

how about the very best view we're ever going to get of the amazing sistine chapel: michaelangelo's masterpiece.visiting vatican.va, you can zoom in on the most intricate details of this amazing work (and perhaps best of all - no throngs of crowds to compete with!)

or using google street view technology, how about viewing your favourite art gallery masterpieces from around the world; up close and personal on Google Art Project (look at the brush strokes! wow!)

the kids will love it!

and i think you might too, cuties!

have a beautiful, inspiring weekend, nicies.

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 detailed view of  vincent van gogh's *wheat field with cypress trees*

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my favourite things: smocking

:: top mosaic ::

clockwise from top left

my friend emily

simonamm 

sewlola

annafabo 

MQuin   

NatalieAsIs 

AtomicBlythe   

rmgg7c

:: 2nd mosaic::

clockwise from top left

river of romansk

OlenaW   

InletKids 

StarBags  

machemisedhomme

gumdropgrove 

DresseshandMade

little rose collection

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oh smocking!

you're right up there in my nostalgic favourite signs-o-springtime with crocuses popping up, pastel coloured painted eggs & Eastery bonnets!

it's an art i'd love to learn one day, but i don't think i have the patience quite yet.

so happy to see the revival of this fabulous art form in the past few years around here.

gorgeous!

just gorgeous!

what's your favourite Easter time artform?

ever smocked?

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the quilt catalogue: red & white quilts

 beautiful red & white quilts via dfainfo.com

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good heavens!

this just takes my breath away. 

honestly, i GASPED when i saw this image (thanks to *making it fun*)

oh how i would have LOVED to have seen this exhibition in person....

from the private collection of joanna rose, the american folk art museum show: infinite variety: three centuries of red and white quilts showcased 651 gorgeous gorgeous colour blocked quilts! kudos to the amazing handmakers that created each beautiful quilt and to the show curators for the brilliant show space design!

we have a cherished red & white quilt at the rikrak home.

handmade years ago by mr. rikrak's wonderful quilting grandma, it's used with love on a daily basis. i

just love the contrast of a two-tone quilt.

brilliant!

do you have a red & white quilt in your home? 

ever made one? 

have a cozy, wrapped in a quilt kinda day lovelies!

hope you'll check out the other 

rikrak studio quilt catalogues here:

• grandmother's flower garden quilt pattern

• pinwheel pieced quilt pattern

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beautiful red & white quilts via dfainfo.com

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the royal wedding challenge {part 2} : show us your BRIDAL looks!

 

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 ktjean + all things pretty

  ....................

swank underpinnings 

+ 

favrebijoux

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 posypower  + untamed petals

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 hollystalder + creative goldsmith

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 clairelafaye + star of the east

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oh didn't we all look GORGEOUS yesterday in our outfits for the kate & william wedding!?
woohoo!

and now... the moment we've all been waiting for... a chance to DRESS THE BRIDE!

that's right!

all you have to do is show me the handmade or vintage delight you'll dress kate in!! i'll include your outfits in a follow-up post next week! woohoo!

just...

1. choose a fun wedding frock or glamorous gown (or something else) royal-wedding-worthy for the BRIDE to wear. think sensational! {i suspect my lovely choices wouldn't actually meet the wedding dress code - but hey - we can play can't we!}

2. choose a fun accessory for the look.

3. cut & paste the direct links where i can find each item on the net from your 2-piece outfit into your comment below.

4. make as many 2-part outfits as you'd like (feel free to include goodies from your own work, too, if you' like!)

5. next week i'll include 10 or so of your looks in a follow up post, and i'll be sure to link to your lovely shop/site, too! great free advertising for creative, dressed-to-the-nines YOU!

6. and hey... if there are LOTS of entries, i'll get the random.org generator to pull a few for us to see!

need some fabulous inspiration? 

check out other fun party outfit challenges here like:

your royal wedding GUEST outfit looks

your red carpet stylist looks

your oscar looks revealed: part 1
part 2

or your lovely springtime teaparty looks.

last summer's beach party looks

your winter gala looks

and remember your gorgeous film festival looks, too!

see you at Westminister Abbey, lovelies!

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ouma +  ktracton

  ....................

the jewelry story  + auburnlightcouture

 ....................

KNRINC + the peppermint pretty

 ....................

 angels bridal boutique + stitch from the heart

 ....................

 

bellesandcrystals + english dept

 ....................

 Makool + goldinjewelry

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aawsombleiJewelry + very tres chic

 ....................

 atelierducorset + finchbird

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BCGirls + luluandshay

 ....................

 joanshum

+ honeysuckle and peach

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 amanda archer + hydra heart

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 la costurera shop + Mara Friedland

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DivineJewel  + emmalamont

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DLolaCouture + Mintook

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JLVintage + whichgoose

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 annabel and ruby + the ritzy rose

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amoursans anguish +  kristin coffin

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brendasbridalveils + all things pretty

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 malam + emici bridal

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closetcaseVNTG + metalsgirl

 ....................

TessaKim  +  salvagelife

 ....................

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