Keep Calm and Marry On!

Planning, planning, planning!  It can lead to stress, especially if you are a perfectionist, like me.  Yes, I confess I am a perfectionist.  It doesn't mean I'm perfect, but that I like to get every little detail chiseled down to the point.

But little-by-little over the years, I have also learned to let some things go and to smile at imperfection. This certainly doesn't mean that I accept careless work. It just means that I no longer freak out over circumstances that are beyond my control.  Save yourself some sanity, brides. And make that your way of approaching not just your wedding day, but the rest of your marriage.

Keep calm, and marry on!

Girls just wanna have fun...

...and celebrate with style!

Gold or Silver?

Martha loves gold. Me? I love, love, love silver! And even though we have our differences in preferences as designers, it doesn't take away what we value: quality designs that we take pride in putting our names next to. 

Plenty of colors to choose from:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/159956818/stiletto-high-heels-confetti-variety-of?

Gold and silver available here:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/159966279/stiletto-high-heels-confetti-gold-or

Paris in Autumn

Last night's projects: black favor boxes, high heel confetti, Eiffel Tower confetti stamped with romantic script, and more paper goodies that cannot fit on this photo collage. Prepping these to be stocked in my Paris shop. More to come this month: brown paper packages tied up with hemp strings, chocolate scented soaps, burlap tags & bags, and autumn i-heart-u care packages (coffee, tea, hot cocoa, and pastries). I wish there were more hours in a day to just design & create.

Paris is always fun!

We were asked to design the centerpiece for a baby shower.  And instead of the usual baby decors, we decided this expecting mother should be showered in style: Paris style!  It's glamorous and fun.

Here is our 3D Eiffel Tower made from 120lb premium heavyweight card stock in the color Onyx.

Ideas on how to embellish the Eiffel Tower by adorning it with fluttering butterflies, fabric floral petals, organza ribbons, a Paris banner, and a strip of tulle fabric whimsically wrapped around the tower to give it a faint & dreamy appeal.

This was a quick photo snap shot of the cupcakes along with the Paris die cut decors: Eiffel tower, dress forms, French words, crown, and eau de parfum.

^^ It was quite the buzz of the baby shower!  This Paris baby shower party sparked us to create embellishment tags for other parties:

Awareness Ribbon Update

The good news!
Although we had initially planned to custom-make and donate 50 awareness ribbons, we are happy to say that we were able to donate a total of 150 ribbons.  The more awareness that we can distribute, the better.  But most importantly, we want to thank those who are passionate enough to request for these ribbons to help spread the awareness.

Change is good.
The first photo of our ribbon was only an draft prototype.  And because we are perfectionists, we examined this dark purple ribbon under a variety of lighting and came to the conclusion that we wanted to offer a different shade of purple because it was a better contrast against the black & white accent ribbon.  Additionally, we took into consideration that those who will be wearing these ribbons at Panhia Vue's funeral services would most likely be dressed in black, so a more vibrant and rich shade of purple would be more ideal against black attire.  It took many hours to add the stripes to 1,050 inches of white ribbons, layer and adhere each component of the design, pin each ribbon onto embossed info cards, and then package everything for shipment.  But it was worth every minute invested into creating a custom ribbon to spread awareness.  Everyone plays a part in change, and we are more than willing to contribute what we can do.


Where's is my ribbon?
If you have not yet received your ribbons, they are probably still in transit.  Because the funeral announcement for Panhia Vue was done on a short notice, we had to focus first on producing and shipping the ribbons out to the attendees at the funeral first in order to make a stand in behalf Panhia who is being laid down to rest.


What can I do to spread more awareness?
1) You can connect with this group of passionate men and women who have a heart for spreading the awareness to put an end to Hmong domestic violence:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/HVN.LifeClass.DV/

2) You can show your support by ordering the custom-made Hmong Domestic Violence Awareness Ribbons, and wear your ribbon boldly:

• For a set of 6 ribbons: https://www.etsy.com/listing/158408689/hmong-domestic-violence-ribbons-set-of-6
• For a set of 50 ribbons: https://www.etsy.com/listing/158399220/hmong-domestic-violence-ribbons-set-of
• For a bulk order, please send the shop a message for time-frame.

Domestic Awareness in the Hmong Community

In light of the recent passing of Pa Nhia Vue (see link for details), Bucket of Kisses is supporting the wonderful & passionate women of Hmong Village Women who are standing up to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. We will be donating a Set of 5 Awareness Ribbons to the first 10 people who message Bucket of Kisses (via Facebook at www.facebook.com/bucketofkisses) with their name and mailing address (50 total ribbons). We ask that if you are the recipient of a set of ribbons, please keep one but distribute the other 4 to other women to support this cause. Please note that we are providing just the stamped & assembled ribbons as shown in photo, and we do not carry tie tacks and therefore, will not be able to provide it with the ribbons. Purple is the awareness color of Domestic Violence. The black & white ribbon design layered on top of the purple ribbon represent the Hmong women's headdress.

PLEASE SHARE THIS POST TO FURTHER THE AWARENESS AND SUPPORT AGAINST DOMESTIC VIOLENCE. Domestic violence in the Hmong culture is something that is still kept in the dark where victims are many times discouraged and suppressed from seeking help. Together, we can make a positive change.

http://shrdo.com/index.php/suabhmong-news/hmong-news/1900-candle-vigil-and-the-killing-of-panhia-vue-in-altoona-wisconsin

Fuschia & Silver-White Wedding Stationary

The featuring paper in this collection is the silver-white metallic waves.  It is accented by a fuschia heavy weight text paper, and then backed with a heavy weight black card stock.  That same black card stock is repeated at the bottom of the invitation, embossed in a diamond patterned design.  The entire pieces are embellished with a fuschia double-face satin ribbon, threaded through a set of silver wedding rings charm.

To view more collections, go to www.bucketofkisses.com.

For inspirations for weddings, parties, and showers, follow us on Pinterest at:

www.pinterest.com/bucketofkisses