Monday, February 25, 2013

Registry Event

I took last week off from blogging to triple task everything else that Reenie Rose had going on, but I'm back and wanted to get you up to snuff on a super event going on this week.


We've made it through engagement season and are now on to the planning stages which includes everything post wedding as well.  Poladora is a fabulous site that is so much more than your towel and toaster registry.  My favorite part about Poladora is that your friends and family can choose items off your registry but ultimately you are receiving a credit.  What this means is that when all is said and done, you have the final say in what is purchased with your credit.  Decide you no longer want one item and would rather have another...no problem.
Of course, I encourage you to just visit the site and start having fun putting something together.  If you need a registry warm up though, I suggest you head back over to the Reenie Rose Registry to start with just one special item....you know what I'm talking about.


Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Registry for All!

With all this gift giving floating around, it wouldn't be right to not properly introduce you to Reenie Rose's newest website feature....the Registry.


I am so excited about providing this added service to my clients, and it really goes along with the group gift process that's been mentioned this week.  I don't know what your thoughts are about a registry, but when it comes to a group of people going in on a gift together, whether you are the receiver of said gift or the organizer of gathering the group, a registry makes the process so much easier.
Right here, right now, I am declaring my registry open to all individuals (not just engaged couples) looking to make getting a Reenie Rose painting soooo much easier.  Birthday coming up, no problem!  Create your own registry to send out to your guest list.  Going to a bridal shower and want to round up the bridesmaids to go in on a gift together....super!  Create that registry for the bride and make it easier for everyone to contribute to a gift.

Have I used the word "easy" already cause this process is pretty easy.  Choose a painting size, write a sweet message and share the link with all your friends and family.  They will be able to contribute a dollar amount they choose via Paypal.  Secure, timesaving and easy.

So, tomorrow when everyone but this single girl gets engaged, usher them over to Reenie Rose to start off their wedding planning, birthday list or I'm just a great person and deserve an awesome gift registry!!!  I'm thinking of going all Carrie Bradshaw and starting one for myself.


Happy mom received her daughter, Whitney's, painting yesterday. Given by good friends and loved by the family (at least mom so far).  Next wedding....a group gift registry is going to be considered so everyone can have a hand in this keepsake.  Start a tradition!!!

Don't forget to stop by Petal Play Design tomorrow between 11am-3pm to wish me a Happy Valentine's Day and see me get started on my next painting.  First sneak peak at the shop!


Tuesday, February 12, 2013

The Perfect Album: BrideBox

Second to having a fabulous painting as a daily reminder of your wedding are your photos.  While a painting fully encompasses the whole feel of a wedding, a photo album really captures the play by play of your entire wedding day.  It should be done well, and it should be done by the people who know you the best...you!  In comes BrideBox to assist you with making your wedding day photo album everything you wish it to be.

Wedding albums tell the story of your special day

Usually it is just a few large prints that get framed; slideshows requiring your family to huddle around a computer screen; flipping through a stack of proofs by hand and passing them around; or worse yet, a disc sitting in a drawer that is never used. While there are many ways to share your wedding photos, anything less than a wedding album doesn’t tell the whole story of your special day.

What is BrideBox? A company that helps brides and grooms capture the narrative of their wedding day with elegance and ease.


This is a new offer in the wedding industry. The idea of taking the photographer out of the album is scary to some brides. But DIY trends have opened up paths for couples to personalize every aspect of their wedding.

When it comes to something as personally meaningful as your wedding memories, why would you want someone else to create that for you?

The design of an album sets your photos apart, reflecting the personalities of you and your spouse. Most designs use a chronological narrative –showing your special day as it unfolded, from getting ready and the first look, to the ceremony and reception. This helps to remember the sequence of events. But as a couple the most important thing to reflect is what the day meant to you, and showcasing your images in a flush mount wedding album gives you the most out of your wedding photography. It’s an intuitive way to relive the memories of your special day.

As long as you have photo memories to protect, BrideBox is a great gift option. Not just for newly engaged couples but newlyweds and even just ‘weds’. All you need are digital photos, and you can showcase the photographer’s stunning work.

BrideBox albums are produced in a lab alongside professional photographers’ products. The only difference is, the time you put into deciding how your photos best deserve to be displayed. The photographic paper allows for smudges and fingerprints to be completely wiped away, just with a soft cloth. The pages will not fade, rip, tear or damage. All of your pictures are kept looking their best and available to display.

Be proud. Show off your wedding.


The best reasons to create your own wedding album:
-You know best how your photos should be displayed. You have your favorites and should display them how you want them.
-You control the design. This doesn’t mean it’s labor intensive; just your personal style and taste are able to shine through.
           -It’s all through a simple, easy-to-use software application. Download it for free, and pay nothing until you are ready to print. 


Monday, February 11, 2013

A Unique Gifter

Just in time for some last minute Valentine's Day ideas (or getting an early start on your wedding registry), I've got some amazing gift ideas for you this week.  Well, I have some amazing people helping me by lending their advice and giving some new direction to gift giving.  Let's be honest, who doesn't want a box of chocolates on V-day or need their fluffy towels as a wedding gift?  We can do better though folks!  It's time to step it up this year and really be mindful of the giving you are doing...because it only means that the "getting" will be that much better.

First up today is Anne from Unique Gifter who takes gifting and registries a step further by providing options for every holiday and every person's needs.  Take it away Anne!


“The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” – Aristotle
  • Dyson or Miele vacuum
  • Kitchenaid Stand Mixer
  • Sterling Silverware
  • Original Artwork
  • Pot Set
  • DSLR Camera
The above are some of the more common, more expensive items that show up on wedding registries. For many people, they are drool worthy consumer goods that remain out of reach, or are just plain un-justifiable in their own budgets. There are all sorts of reactions to high priced wedding registry items; invariably someone secretly (or not-so-secretly) thinks that you’re being gift grabby. The high roller may be disappointed in the lack of selection and the organizer jumps at the chance to pull together a group gift. All of the items listed above have long lives and high use. Additionally, for many, they are things that they dream of getting but are financially out of reach most of the time. That is precisely what makes them such fantastic gifts!

I invite you to join me in bringing together an awesome gift for a lucky couple that you know. You can select one of the pricier gifts and organize a group of contributors. Take the gift as a base and create a complete moment or memory. All of the pieces come together to create a complete picture, just like a puzzle. Here are a few examples of fantastic group gifts:

The Espresso Machine
This past summer, some friends received a very pricey espresso machine, from about a dozen of their guests. The guests all got together and picked up the machine, plus a nice milk thermometer, a steaming jug, some coffee beans and a selection of espresso and coffee mugs. Now, they have a daily ritual made possible, down to the last detail, by a great group of friends. Some more ideas to add to an espresso machine could be some honey, raw sugar, or maybe even a nice jazz CD for a lazy Saturday morning.


The Camera
Another set of friends selected a DSLR Camera as their long-shot wedding registry item. The newlyweds spent the first year of their marriage teaching English in Korea, snapping photos and adventuring together. Their memories would have been very different had they not had generous guests who came together to bless them with this gift. They also picked up a convenient carrying case, to complete the gift.

Artwork
This is Reenie’s Rose’s wheelhouse! Ensure you know the couple well, or check with them first, but original artwork can be an extremely touching and valued gift. It will be something that the couple keeps and displays in their home for a very, very long time. They will be able to enjoy it almost daily and it will remind them of the gift givers.

Vacuum
Now, you may be puzzling about the vacuum. Are your friends or family pet owners? Yes? Guess what, they will LOVE that vacuum and so will any guests that set foot in their home! It may seem a very bland and boring thing to give, but trust me on this one, their future health and happiness may well depend on it!

Group gifts are unique in how they provide an opportunity for friends and family to come together and show their support for a couple. They are a form of symbolic uniting on behalf of the couple, showing more than the etiquette obligation to bring a gift to a wedding. The effort put forth to coordinate, plus the joy at receiving some of the most costly registry items that they may not have expected to be gifted, is overwhelming for some newlyweds. Put another way, group gifts are like a great big hug from friends and family!

Anne writes about all sorts of great gift ideas, including creative and fun ways to give cash, at her blog Unique Gifter. She covers wedding savings tips for guests, plus tips for adding that special touch to gift giving.

Thursday, February 7, 2013

February Fundays

It's done!  It's complete!  It's finished!
Whitney and Will's painting took a total of 60 hours and 45 minutes to complete, and I couldn't be happier with the outcome.


This is one of those labor of love paintings that you just can't wait to be finished with, yet when it's done you go, "Now what?"  Well, I have a pile of stuff already banging on my door that is going to keep this painter busy busy busy for the next few months.  Some things to look forward to:

-I'm creating a custom painting especially for FORM: Art + Floral to be raffled off at our fundraising event in April.  I'm sketching it in now, so be ready for a composition post soon.
See this puppy transformed in black and white.

-A surprise painting I can't tell you about until it's revealed in April.  I love these kinds of surprises...the ones where I only know about them.

-A new painting from a wedding I actually worked back in November.  The couple was so sweet that I am so happy to have another hand in there wedding day.

-Get your Valentine's Day flowers at Petal Play Design on February 14th...and by flowers, I mean a painting!  Here's a hint....I will be painting one of the above mentioned new pieces and you will get a first look at it if you come out and visit me!

-Don't forget to rsvp to the Blooms and Brunch event I will be painting at on February 17th at Magnificent Milestones!  Nibbles, drinks and painting....what could be better!

This month is really dishing out some fun challenges.  I'll give you one more hint for something else coming up: radio.


Friday, February 1, 2013

In Case You Forgot...

Hear's my last stitch effort to tempt you into coming to Indie Wed tomorrow....


I'll be painting on site tomorrow trying to fill in all the remaining blanks.  You really should come by and see this painting in person in a near completion state.  Today we setup our booth too....that in itself is worth stopping by to view.  It looks like we took down a ballerina in a retro household...but in a very good way.  Did I mention the pink t.v.?


Our 4th Annual Winter Indie Wed show will be take place on
Saturday, February 2nd, 2013
from 10am to 4pm
at the Ravenswood Event Center
entrance at 4043 N. Ravenswood Ave
Chicago
Plenty of free parking is available along Ravenswood Ave.
Venue is also 1/2 block north of the Irving Park brown line  station
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Indie Wed will feature:
*100+ amazing vendors from the Midwest and beyond
*two full floors of vendors
*food tastings
*musical performances
*wandering models featuring spectacular bridal fashions
*a special Belles & Gents lounge with sweets , food and beer pairings, extra vendors plus more
*and much more
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
 Tickets 
* At The Door  = $20 per person CASH ONLY
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


Booth #1!!!!  Be there!