Fab Vendor Monday - { Izzy and the Bean Design }

We met the following interviewee on Twitter! They did some graphic design work for us that we'll be revealing in the coming months and which is fab! In the mean time, you can get to know them here!

Fab Monday Interview Questions

Name: Ashley R.

Company Name: Izzy and the Bean Design

Website: arippke.etsy.com

Blog: http://izzyandthebean.blogspot.com

Email: arippke@gmail.com

Established: March 2008

Employees: My husband and me.

Pricing: $1.50-4.30 per save the date/invitation set. Depends on the number of sets ordered.
Serving areas: Being an online business allows us to work with couples from all over the world! While the majority of our invites stay within the US, a good portion of them are shipped to Canada and Australia.

Services offered: Wedding stationery, digital wedding stationery, and graphic design (both wedding related and non wedding related)

How long have you been doing graphic design? Well, we both went to school for graphic design, so that part of the business has been active for about seven years. We started really focusing on wedding invitations a little over two years ago though when a good friend of mine, who was getting married, asked me to design her invites for her. Around the same time another friend introduced me to Etsy. We opened our store a couple of months later and it's been a perfect fit ever since!

Describe your style. The invites in our Etsy store are unique, bold, and fun. Something that, as one bride put it, "everyone from my funkiest friends to my parents loved." Creating affordable, beautiful, low stress wedding invitation is a key goal for us. We also design one of a kind custom invitations for couples in a variety of styles. Just this year alone we've designed everything from a personalized subway map invite, to a manga style comic invite, and several classically elegant suites.

Do you do have any other jobs or do you just focus on wedding graphic Design? Yes, we're both full time graphic designers at local design firms.

What is something that few people know about you? I may literally be addicted to Oreos...

Do you have any advice to offer engaged couples or those planning a special event? Plan the wedding/event that YOU (you and your future spouse that is) want. And have fun! The day goes fast, so just enjoy it!

Fab Vendor Monday - { Izzy and the Bean Design }

Fab Vendor Monday - { A Wedding In a Box }

This week i'm featuring a great lady who is part of a wonderful group of women in the wedding business. Read on!

Name: Carrie Grabowicz, Melia Rios-Lazo, Clare Herkendaal, Barbara Kosciewicz, and Danielle Weber

Company Name:
a WEDDING in a BOX

Website:
http://www.aWEDDINGinaBOX.net

Blog:
http://www.WEDDINGinaBOX.blogspot.com

Email:
aweddinginabox5@live.com

Established:
January 2009

Employees:
none, although we are looking for equal partners in the area where we service

Pricing:
We offer all our services a la carte, as well as having one large ultimate package which includes the highest packages from each of our businesses. We also offer an incentive to have clients book with more than one of us: If Brides book with one, they get 5% off second, 8% off next and 10% off, the next.

Serving areas:
Eastern PA (mostly in Chester and Montgomery Counties in PA)

Services offered:
Custom jewelry consultations for you and your bridal party, one-of-a-kind photography, pampering sessions with massage, yoga, and foot soaks, make-up color consultations, skin care, and honeymoon travel packages. We love to make everything CUSTOM to make the brides feel like Royalty! We also are partnered with several reception venues and salons in the area.

How did you get started creating jewelry?
It all started in July 2008 with a trip to the Outer Banks, NC. Hammi Jammi Jewelry owner/designer Carrie Grabowicz created her first necklace in a bead shop. She fell in love with the creative process and the rest is history. Hammi Jammi is a name she calls her children when they are acting like “hams” and she also loves pigs so the name is fitting for fun, everyday jewelry.

How long have you been doing it?
Since July 2008

Describe your style:
I tend to like simple pieces, mostly using sterling silver and semi-precious gemstones. I also love to find unique focal pieces. Lately, I really like to work with Swarovski Crystals (which works well for the bridal market).

Do you do have any other jobs?
I am a stay-at-home mom of 2 boys (Brennon-age 6; Noah-age 2). All of the members are stay-at-home moms who each had our own individual businesses. We thought it was a natural fit to join forces and target the bridal market together.

What else would you be doing if you were not a jewelry designer?
I have a Master's degree in Public Health. Before having children I worked as a Clinical Research Coordinator for the Division of Orthopedics at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. I would most likely still be doing that.

What is something that few people know about you?
???? I have no idea...I'm pretty much an open book!

Do you have any advice to offer engaged couples or those planning a special event? Just have fun with it and try not to get stressedout. By using a WEDDING in a BOX, we take a lot of the stress out of planning by offering so many services in one place.

Would you like to say anything about your friends at Creative Custom Card Boxes? These boxes are beautiful. They just add that special touch to your event. It's the little details that make the wedding and reception look special and cohesive.

Have anything else to share with our readers?
We like to set up mini bridal shows for our brides and their friends so we can present all our services in a laid back setting. They can try on jewelry, do a foot soak, have a chair massage, and get some photos taken of the fun event, and even have some chocolate fondue at no obligation.

Fab Vendor Monday - { A Wedding In a Box }

Fab Vendor Monday - { Celeste Designs }

This week i'd like to focus some attention on another wonderful twitter friend of mine, Celeste of Celeste Designs. She and I have collaborated on some projects including the NFL Celebrity Wedding of Shantrell Moore and Tramon Williams of the Green Bay Packers! She is a fabulous stationery designer so I wanted to highlight her and learn more about her. Read on!

Name: Celeste C. Smith

Company Name: CelesteDesigns

Website: www.celestedesigns.shutterfly.com

Blog (under construction!)

Email: celestedesigns@ymail.com

Established: August 2000

Employees:

Just me! With the occasional assembly helper or set up assistant

Pricing:

Everything is custom, so I create designs to fit my client’s needs and budget

Serving areas:

Anywhere as long as we can email or talk on the phone

Services offered:

Custom Graphic Design and Handmade Stationery

Complete Custom Stationery Sets, Logos and Monograms, Bottle and Favor Labels, Inspiration Boards… also photo editing and twitter backgrounds!

How did you get started doing stationery and graphic design?

I have always dabbled in design for fun, but after creating invitations for my own wedding I started getting requests to design for others and before long my advertising agency turned into a design studio and I started getting paid to do something I loved!

How long have you been a designer?

Almost ten years…wow, time flies!

Describe your style:

Hard question for me because I work so much toward capturing the style of my clients! I love to work with photos and custom artwork or monograms so custom details are a common theme in all my work. I love the idea of creating things so personal people will want to keep them!

Do you do have any other jobs or do you just design?

Everything I do is somehow related to graphic design, most of the time it is wedding and event focused, but I also have corporate design jobs and work for a variety of clients, for example I recently designed a book and champagne bottle labels for a high school reunion.

What else would you be doing if you were not a designer?

You’ve got some great questions! Another hard one… I love creating, but if I totally changed careers I think I would work with children somehow as a teacher or special needs therapist.

What is something that few people know about you?

I am a bit of a twitter addict! Though my twitter family gets it…those that don’t tweet wouldn’t know it… until they try it and get hooked themselves of course! @celestedesigns

Do you have any advice to offer engaged couples or those planning a special event?

The day is already special because of what it means to you, so make everything about it personal and special! You can find a way to customize every detail of your wedding and make it an event that represents you! Enjoy the process and the day by finding talented people to work with that will bring your vision to reality.

For planners, if you haven’t found a custom designer – find a good one!! After one event I guarantee you will choose custom design all your events! We can make you even more fabulous at what you do and a star with your clients, even weddings with smaller budgets look expensive with custom stationery and details.

Would you like to say anything about your friends at Creative Custom Card Boxes?

You guys are fabulous! I now refer all of my clients to your site and think your Card Boxes are such a special way to customize a wedding or event! I love that you can customize the colors and design to fit their theme and budget and I can’t wait for the next wedding that I can collaborate with you on!

Have anything else to share with our readers?

I truly love what I do and value my relationships with my clients and also other vendors and planners!

I work closely with planners and clients online and in person to custom design their entire event. From a logo and inspiration board to set the tone ~ to all of their stationery needs. I’ve worked with all sizes of events and budgets. The list of items I can customize goes on and on! Save the dates, invitation sets (complete sets include: invitations, enclosures, addressed envelopes, assembly and even mailing service), announcements, wedding programs, favor labels (if it can be wrapped or tagged we can customize it!) table stationery (menu, reception programs, table numbers, placecards and table signs). My most popular favors have been custom bottle labels with photo or logo, photo candy labels and favor tags.

Thanks so much Celeste for sharing your company and vision with us. We love to work with you and can't wait to collaborate on more projects in the future!

Fab Vendor Monday - { Celeste Designs }

Fab Vendor Monday - { Ten23Designs }

This week we'd like to introduce you to Lauren who owns and operates Ten23Designs. We met her on Twitter and think her work is really unique and a great way to personalize any party decor. Her designs can be used in home decor as well. I love her ideas and just need to think of a way to use something from Ten23Designs in my own home!

We asked Lauren to answer a few interview questions for us and following are her responses:

Blog / website: www.ten23designs.com

Etsy shop: www.ten23designs.etsy.com

Custom orders always taken via e-mail @ designedbylauren@yahoo.com (I love custom orders)

1. How did you come up with your business name? Ten23 is my birthday... October 23rd. :o)

2. How long have you been in business? I opened my on-line shop last August on the 22nd.

3. What inspired you to start your creative business?

My own wedding... There were a lot of things I wanted (I love personalized things) but they costed too much money. So I wanted to make these personalized items for people at affordable prices.

4. What is your favorite wedding or party trend right now?

Bright colors... I love these bright colors that came out this summer; the yellow & dark pink, orange & turquoise, bright blue & lime, etc.

6. Do you have any favorite wedding, party, or handmade related blogs or websites that you'd like to share?

I like www.brendasweddingblog.com I think it is a great resource for many elements of planning a wedding & she has great giveaways.

Thanks so much Lauren for sharing your fabulous decals with us. We love your work and hope to work with you in the future!

Fab Vendor Monday - { Ten23Designs }