Paper Passionista

Weddings in Woodinville 2012 is one for the books, and Paper Passionista says thank you to all who planned it, and all who attended!

Letterpress cork program by Paper Passionista

Paper Passionista was a proud participant this past Sunday at JM Cellars for the fourth annual Weddings in Woodinville event.  Approximately 500 lucky attendees were treated to food and wine tasting at seven participating locations in the greater Woodinville wine country: The Woodhouse Wine Estates, Novelty Hill / Januik, Matthews, Willows Lodge, JM Cellars, DeLille Cellars, and Columbia Winery.  The grey drizzly weather sure didn't seem to dampen the spirits of the attendees I visited with. It was fun to hear about their upcoming weddings, some at featured wineries, and some at other locales.

The program pictured above, created in letterpress on cork by Paper Passionista, shows all the participants at JM Cellars.  Below are some photos that capture the decor and layout of our event. Thank you to Lacey Yantis and her team with Visions of Romance Photography for these images, and to the wonderful Melody Davis of Mg Davis Weddings & Events for working so hard on our JM Cellars master plan, in addition to her duties serving on the Weddings in Woodinville Board.

The main event table, featuring chairs, china, glassware, and silverware from Vintage Ambiance and centerpiece by Melanie Benson Floral

Up close on the place setting, with bird's nest favors from Melanie Benson Floral, printed items by Paper Passionista, and all glassware and chargers from Vintage Ambiance

Ceremony set-up in the Barrel Room at JM Cellars

Beautiful bouquet by Melanie Benson Floral

Delicious sweets display by Hillcrest Bakery

A little rain can't stop WIW visitors from roasting marshmallows for S'mores at the JM Cellars fire pit

The Haggis Brothers' delightful tunes kept the mood hoppin' under the tent

Yum! Veraci Pizza had their wood-fired ovens going to bake these delicious creations tent-side

Three lucky event attendees enjoy JM Cellars' wine

Paper Passionista was wondering...why this new obsession with Brussels Sprouts?

OK, this may seem like a random question for a wedding and event stationery related blog, right? But there is a reason for my curiosity.  Every year Paper Passionista has many menus printed for weddings and events, and I've noticed in the last year or so I am seeing "Brussels Sprouts" showing up repeatedly on these menus. It happened again this week, and I also realized that when they do show up on menus the spelling of this "mini green cabbage shaped vegie" varies greatly too.  So, because I'm a nut about having things spelled correctly on anything I print, I set out to answer the question for myself once and for all.  In the process I learned more about Brussels sprouts than I ever knew!

First the question of the spelling.  It turns out the correct spelling of Brussels sprouts is as I have it here. They are actually named after Brussels, the capital of Belgium. So if you're preparing a menu for your event, and serving these, please spell them correctly to satisfy the spelling nuts (like me) in your group.

Second, in doing my spelling research about Brussels sprouts, I learned more about them from a nutritional standpoint.  I will share some information from nutritional expert, Leslie Beck, RD, that I found very interesting:

"Brussels sprouts are full of nutrients and contain significant amounts of vitamin C. In fact, gram for gram, Brussels sprouts contain nearly fifty percent more vitamin C than an orange. Just four to six Brussels sprouts contain the adult daily requirement for vitamin C.

Like other cruciferous vegetables, Brussels sprouts contain nitrogen compounds called indoles, known for their cancer fighting properties. Brussels sprouts are also a good source of folate, potassium, vitamin K, fibre and beta carotene."

I will feel so much more virtuous now when I consume the Brussels sprouts on my plate at an event. Now if I could only convince my dear husband of their glorious qualities.  His response to my reporting on this great information: "They're my second least favorite vegetable, right next to Lima beans! I'd rather eat an orange." Better make that two oranges! Oh well, you can lead a horse to water, but.....

 

Paper Passionista will be at "Weddings in Woodinville" this weekend and hope to see you there!

JM Cellars' barrel room

The fourth annual Weddings in Woodinville event is coming up this Sunday, January 29, and Paper Passionista is very excited to be part of the fun.  We will be sharing space with the great Melody Davis of Mg Davis Events, and all the other team members (see below) who look forward to showing you a good time at JM Cellars at 14404 137th Place NE, Woodinville, Washington 98072 .  Here's a great tip that appeared on the Weddings in Woodinville Facebook page today:

The tour is a wedding show but we’ve thrown in a wine tour to make the experience even more fun! Local Woodinville wines will be served at every venue. So please bring your ID. Since we do serve wine at each location, this is a 21 and older event. Wine will also be available to purchase at each winery if you can’t leave without getting a bottle (or 2) for later.

For more details about the show, and to purchase your tickets be sure to visit the Weddings in Woodinville website, and I hope we'll get to chat with you this coming Sunday.  

The wedding tent at JM Cellars during the 2011 Weddings in Woodinville event

2012 JM Cellars team members:

Planner: 
MG Davis Events 

Vendors:
AA Party Rentals
Herban Feast Catering

Hillcrest Bakery

Melanie Benson Floral Design
Paper Passionista
The Haggis Brothers
Veraci Pizza
Vintage Ambiance
Visions of Romance

Due to weather, Snoqualmie Ridge Golf Club wedding show has been postponed until January 28

Because Paper Passionista posted previously about the Snoqualmie Ridge Golf Club wedding show I wanted to make sure I got the word out that their show has been postponed one week.  The show will now occur on Saturday, January 28.  Hours remain the same, 1:00 - 4:00 pm.  Hope to see you there, and that by then everyone will have recovered from power outages, etc.

Postal rates go up this Sunday, 1/22/12. Paper Passionista wants to make sure you know!

Paper Passionista just received the kindest gesture, via mail, from our realtor, Kathleen Powell of Windermere Real Estate, wanting to make sure we were aware of the postal rate increase going into efffect this Sunday, January 22. In the envelope she even included a book of 1 cent stamps to make the change easier.  I just love it when others are looking out for me!

Because anyone mailing wedding invitations (or anything else, for that matter) needs to avoid the nightmare of having things come back for postage I wanted to pass on the information from the US Postal Service about the new rates.  The first class postage rate is going up one cent, so the new stamps will be 45 cents.  The good news is for the second ounce (the amount required for mailing most wedding invitations) it will remain at 20 cents extra, so the new rate on those will be 65 cents.  For those of you doing postcard Save the Dates or Response Cards, the new rate for postcards is a 3 cent increase, going up to 32 cents.

You are now armed with the information you need to go forth and mail.  The only information I don't yet have is when the new wedding themed stamps will be available.  It seems there's always a bit of a lag between when the new rates kick in and when those are available.  But for those of you having custom stamps made for your invitations at least now you know the rates.  

As a side note for those doing custom stamps for your invitations, I always recommend not ordering them until you've actually received your invitations, so you can take a fully assembled ensemble to the post office and have them weigh it and tell you exactly how much your invitation's postage will be. There are several things beyond weight that come into play, such as odd shapes (squares of any size), whether there is a ribbon on the invitation causing bulk, etc..  It is better to be safe than sorry!

Paper Passionista and Smock Paper are dreaming of warm, sunny days

As Paper Passionista is stuck at home, like everyone else in the Seattle area, due to an ice storm with sub-freezing temperatures, I love the card featured in this morning's email from Smock paper. Doesn't this bright, cheerful card have you dreaming of warm, sunny days?

Smock has just introduced the first card in their "Change the World" card series. Their Sunflower letterpress greeting cards are available as singles or boxed sets, and 100% of profits from these cards will be donated to the Pesticide Action Network to help save the honey bees. Since the bees are in trouble (and more than 30% of our food supply depends on them) they're including packets of bee-friendly sunflower seeds with every boxed set, so customers can plant the seeds and help the bees. 

Paper Passionista applauds Smock's continuing efforts to save the world and our environment with their eco-friendly campaigns.  Good on ya!!

 

William Arthur invitations & stationery on special with Paper Passionista

Our friends at William Arthur have sent out information on their winter promotion, so Paper Passionista wanted to be sure and share it with you.  This promo is good for any of their invitation and stationery albums, so if you're thinking about Save the Dates, invitations for your special event / wedding, or getting some new business cards or personalized stationery, now is a great time to get an extra 25 for FREE! Give us a call and we'll be happy to run out and show you their albums in person (once the snow has cleared). ;-)

Dauphine Press letterpress invitations kicks off the New Year and their new website with a special offer

Dauphine Press, magicians of beautiful letterpress invitations, announced today the launch of their gorgeous new website, and in celebration of that and the New Year they are offering a great promotion during the month of January. For all orders of 100 or more wedding invitations placed by January 31, 2012, Dauphine Press will provide 20 additional invitations at no charge. (See their offer for the details.)

If you wish to take advantage of this offer Paper Passionista still has some appointments available between now and the end of January to assist you with the selection and ordering process for your customized Dauphine Press invitations. Give us a call at 206.909.9567 or email: info@paperpassionista.com. We are the only authorized Dauphine Press retailer in the Pacific Northwest, and look forward to working with you.

The Details
- Cannot be applied to orders already in progress
- Available on Custom Wedding Portfolio Orders
- When 100 elements are ordered, you will receive 120
- Envelope liners and embellishments not included

Redeem This Offer
To redeem this offer, bring a copy of this coupon to your Dauphine Press retailer (Paper Passionista).

Snoqualmie Ridge Golf Club is having their annual wedding tasting and vendor showcase event. Paper Passionista will be there. Will you?

Each year Paper Passionista is thrilled to be included in the annual Wedding Open House event at Snoqualmie Ridge Golf Club (TPC Snoqualmie Ridge) on Saturday, January 21, from 1-4 pm. Below is the flyer for the event. Hope to see you there! (Don't forget to RSVP by contacting Nelliena at the email or phone shown at the bottom.)

Paper Passionista recommends "Polyester is the Devil" as a must-read for anyone beginning the wedding gown shopping process

Happy New Year! Paper Passionista has completed a wonderful week of Christmas and New Year holidays, surrounded by friends and loved ones celebrating lots of Fa La La La La. Now that all that has passed it's time to get back to the business of helping loyal readers make their way through their celebration preparations.  Did you become engaged over the holidays? Then, first of all, Congratulations! Second of all, I wanted to make sure you're aware of a book I believe is a must read for any bride-to-be about to set out on the mission of wedding gown shopping.  We all know that once the ring is on the finger the gown is the next order of business, right ladies?!?

Lindsay Kenna, author of "Polyester is the Devil", has provided a great guide book for anyone about to begin shopping for a wedding gown.  I read the book, and found it to be a very pleasant read, filled with "simple no-nonsense advice for the fashion-forward bride".  Wedding gown shopping will be a much better experience if you purchase this book and take a little time to read it (it's not a thick book, and goes quickly once you open it). She's filled it with lots of great tips and considerations, and even a style journal and planner.  I won't share the tips here as I don't want to give away Lindsay's trade secrets until she's sold a book.  If you buy the paperback it'll be the best $18.95 investment you'll make in your wedding.  If you can't wait to have the book shipped to you go check out your local Barnes & Noble to pick up a copy.  If you're in the local Seattle area you can purchase it at Swink Style Bar, 611 Stewart Street between 6th and 7th one block north of the Pacific Place mall.

May all your gown shopping experiences be pleasant ones, and may 2012 bless you with special memories to last a lifetime! 

Lindsay Kenna, Author of "Polyester is the Devil"